


Flash Back

by Razial



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Hellsing
Genre: Alternate Universe, Crossover, F/M, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-06
Updated: 2019-03-25
Packaged: 2019-03-27 20:29:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 52,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13888563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Razial/pseuds/Razial
Summary: Dying the last of the Scoobies makes a pact with Janus who wants to create chaos whilst also preventing the end of the world, finding himself back in the past he must convince his friends of the truth of his been from the future or history will repeat itself and they will all die one by one.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> AU buffy verse starting in the future and then jumping back to the past somewhere in the middle of season 2 before Angel turns into Angelus, also I have created a new character that will play an important part in the story and will be a love interest for Xander alongside Cordelia.

By Razial Flash Back

Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy or any of the other characters from the show or connected media they belong to Joss Whedon and whoever else owns the rights. 

Pairing: Xander/Cordelia/Mary Jane 

Notes: AU buffy verse starting in the future and then jumping back to the past somewhere in the middle of season 2 before Angel turns into Angelus, also I have created a new character that will play an important part in the story and will be a love interest for Xander alongside Cordelia. 

Summary: Dying the last of the Scoobies makes a pact with Janus who wants to create chaos whilst also preventing the end of the world, finding himself back in the past he must convince his friends of the truth of his been from the future or history will repeat itself and they will all die one by one. 

+FB+

(Sunnydale Ruins, 2025)

Alexander Harris sat against the ruined wall of what had once been the Sunnydale High School so many years ago, he had vowed never to come back here but the war had pulled him here anyway and sadly it was here he was going to die. He was the last of the now infamous Scooby Gang as he had nicknamed their group although he had been parted from it for more than several years before its official end, by that point Buffy and Willow had become shadows of their former selves. Lost in their powers which had only grown over the years of struggle, it had gone to their heads and Buffy’s two deaths and resurrections had done serious damage to her psyche before her final demise. He didn’t know when they had turned from the light completely but they had, in the end he supposed it didn’t matter just that they had fallen. He had personally been forced to kill Willow back in 2015 when hyped up on dark magic’s she attempted a ritual to enhance her powers beyond rational desires, that she had also sacrificed five people including the woman he loved had made the mission all the more personal and tragic. Buffy had finally been killed by her supposed lover the Immortal once he no longer had need of her, by then he had used her to corrupt many of the new Slayers and Watchers Buffy had controlled in the New Watchers Council. The empowering spell that activated a large percentage of potential Slayers during the Gang’s fight with the First Evil back in 2007 had been the end of Sunnydale back in the day leaving nothing but ruins and portal inactive, had he been present he would have argued against the spell or at least insisted it be modified to only include those potentials in Sunnydale at the time. 

Snorting he doubted they would have listened to him, after the whole Glory mess back in 2005 he had realised they had no longer truly saw him as one of the Gang or someone to respect and listen too, he had left Sunnydale far behind and found new friends and allies as time went on including the woman he had come to love Mary Jane only to lose her due to Willow’s madness. Losing her lover Tara to an insane geek with a gun had probably pushed Willow further down the dark path she had fallen into, Tara had been a pure soul, she had managed to keep Willow stable for a time and with her death there was no one left to fill that role. Grunting he pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pants pocket and quickly pulled one from it, as he was about to die he saw no reason not to enjoy one last smoke. Once he had one in his mouth he quickly lit it with his lighter and breathed as best he could without causing himself further pain from his wounds, blowing out the smoke he contemplated how the rest of the Gang had perished one by one until he had become the sole survivor. Giles had been killed by the Immortal not long after he had killed Buffy to cement his rule over the now corrupted Council, Faith had led a rebellion against him with many of the Sunnydale potentials who had become Slayers following but they had lost in the end when they were caught in a pincer between corrupt Slayers and Watchers and a huge force of Demons and Vampires. Oz had sadly been tracked down by Werewolf Hunters somewhere between Buffy and Willow’s deaths. Cordelia had suffered the worst fate in his mind, used and abused by the supposed Powers that Be as well as her own group who failed to notice she was in trouble, he had always known Angel Buffy’s former undead lover was heartless and self-involved but what he allowed to happen to Cordelia at the hands of the Power known as Jasmin just proved it. That the rest of Angel’s crew Wesley, Gunn, Fred and Lorne had all died within a year just added more proof of that fact. Fred suffered the second worst fate as her body was taken over by an Old One which basically annihilated her very soul, Going back further into the past there had been Jenny Calendar or Janna who had been murdered when Angel had lost his soul and become Angelus once more, and Kendra the Slayer called before Faith who had fallen at the hands of Drusilla. And before that his and Willow’s friend Jessie had been turned by Angel’s sire Darla forcing him to kill him to save Cordelia’s life during the first year they had known Buffy, he had seen so much death in his life that he had become almost numb to it. Taking another drag from his cigarette he wondered just what would happen once he died, was there truly such a thing as an afterlife? He wondered. 

“So just going to give up are we Harris?” a voice asked from the side making him grunt in pain as he turned towards the sound only to find the source was someone he had multiple dealings with in the past going all the way back to his time in Sunnydale with the Gang. 

“I’m dying Janus; all my allies who came with me for this fight are dead” Xander spat in annoyance. “Mary Jane and Cordelia the two women I can honestly say I loved are dead, my former friends are long dead what is there left to fight for?” he inquired as he took another drag from his cigarette. 

“Never took you for a quitter Harris, but I suppose the fact you are the last of your group to fall should say something shouldn’t it” Janus shot back. “They all thought you’d be the first to go not the last, your friends or former friends as you stated lost their way became dark or fell in the long struggle and the women you loved died well before their time in the worst possible way as well but you are still alive or at for now you are” he mused.

“Not for much longer Janus soon I’ll be dead as well and I can finally rest and maybe just maybe I’ll see them all again whole if there is an afterlife” Xander replied coughing as the loss of blood began to affect him. 

“Perhaps but I aint ready for you to go just yet and I especially am not ready for the world to end so I am here to offer you something Harris, something that will benefit us both” 

Janus shot back knowing that if he did not push this along soon that Harris would die which was one of the reasons the Demons had left him here as well as to watch them finally succeed in opening the Hellmouth. 

“What could you possibly offer me Janus?” Xander inquired trying not to get too curious as he knew the God of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, doorways, passages, and endings as well as chaos could not be trusted.

“A second chance to do this again, to save your friends and more importantly the women you loved and if you are really lucky stop the world ending” Janus stated honestly deciding they had no time for him to be vague or play games. 

“What’s in it for you?” Xander asked not too sure what to make of the offer. 

Could he really go through all that he had again even on the off chance he could save Mary Jane and Cordelia or any of the others, was it worth the pain and struggle he would have to go through if he did except? 

“Stopping the end of the world isn’t enough?” Janus inquired looking insulted before letting out an amused smile at Harris’s look of disbelief. “Fine it will cause complete chaos for those wankers the Powers whose stupidity helped bring this all about” he added. “Better hurry choosing though Harris you don’t have long left to live” he warned. 

Xander took one last drag of his cigarette before throwing it away and blowing the smoke out of his mouth, it was a simple choice really because no matter the pain and struggle and heartache he had gone through if he had been able to save any of those he had lost especially Mary Jane and Cordelia then it would have been worth it. 

“I have to remember what is going to happen, Janus and I will need my skills and abilities that I have now if I am going to pull this off” he stated coughing again causing some blood to leak out of his mouth. 

“Done, wouldn’t be any good if I sent you back a blank slate as the same shit would happen again and that would be boring” Janus agreed. “Just remember one thing Harris I want you to cause as much chaos as you can no matter what you have to do to make it happen, give those stupid Powers all the headaches you can” he commanded. 

“I can get behind that, oh one last thing before you do your thing make sure Mary Jane finds her way to Sunnydale” Xander requested. 

“I can do that after all that will cause some lovely fun between you the cheerleader and the temperamental redhead you love” Janus agreed with a loud laugh. “Ok let’s get this show on the road before you really do die” he stated as he began to draw on his powers. “Oh one last thing there may be some side effects of this so just be careful when you first wake up” he warned before he trusted his arms out and unleashed his power over Xander who was forced to close his eyes at the brightness of it all. Janus smirked as 

Xander Harris vanished a mere few minutes before he would have died, they all had a chance now at things turning out differently and perhaps those idiot Powers would get their comeuppance much sooner than they had this time. 

+FB+

(Harris Residence, 2002)

Xander awoke and just managed to stop himself from screaming in terror as pain engulfed him as well as thousands of images poured into his head, images so terrible he felt like clawing his own eyes out. He rolled out of his bed and collapsed to the floor curling into a ball as he continued to see things that should not be possibly, his whole body felt frozen and did so for the next several minutes until finally the images stopped and he began to realise that the images were his own memories of a time that had not yet happened. Slowly sitting up he frowned as he recalled the last memory he had of making a deal with the God Janus, had that really happened or had he dreamt it? Climbing to his feet he wobbled unsteadily on his feet before lurching forward and heading for the bathroom, it was once he got there and turned on the light he realised the answer to his silent question. Above his left eye was a long red scar that he knew he’d not possessed a few minutes before, but he recalled gaining it eight years in the future fighting a Vampire called Marcus. Clearly the deal he had made with Janus in his memories had been true and he really had been sent backwards in time, to change events to stop the end of the world and if he could save the lives of his friends and more importantly the two women he had loved in his life. Of course he also recalled making a promise to cause as much chaos as he could as he went, to give the Powers that Be as many headaches as he could for what they had allowed to happen on their watch. 

‘Easier said than done Janus’ he thought and actually cursed his older self for making such a promise because getting Giles and the others to listen and actual believe him was going to be tricky and could only be done by bringing up some rather dangerous subjects. Subjects he was supposed to have no knowledge of at this point in time, and subjects that could tear the Gang apart just as they had done so before in another time. Splashing water over his face he went toilet and washed his hands before heading back to his room, ‘what to do?’ he wondered. 

He glanced at his clock on the nightstand and noticed it was only five in the morning thus way too early to go anywhere as it was still dark out, even with his skills and abilities intact he didn’t want to put them to the test until he could do so in at least a safe manner with Giles. He trusted Janus a little considering he had done as he had said and brought his memories backwards, but clearly he wasn’t completely his future self as it sounded more like his past self with his future self’s memories. Janus had said there would be side effects to the transference, perhaps the scar and the way the transfer had happened were what he meant. Lying back down he knew his alarm would go off in two hours so he would be up in time for school, two conflicting thoughts hit him at the same time at the thought of going to school again. One was the usual distaste of school especially as it was on top of the actual mouth to hell, the second was the annoyance of going through high school once more when he had in a sense already completed it and blown the fucking place sky high. He had very clear happy memories of blowing Sunnydale High up, granted it was during a rather dark time as they were battling the damn Mayor who wanted to ascend to Demonhood. So many problems were on the horizon but first he had to deal with preventing the return of Angelus and if he was lucky the death of Jenny Calendar, not an easy prospect because he just knew Buffy and Willow would try and make this about jealously. 

‘Ha’ he thought bitterly there was no feelings of jealously where Buffy and Angel was concerned just disgust, hell there hadn’t been any even before this night as he had seen how little Buffy could treat someone she supposedly call friend when she used him as a damn stripper pole to make Angel jealous at the beginning of the year. He was if his memories were not playing tricks in the beginnings of his relationship with Cordelia as the trouble with the Tarakan assassins had already happened which meant he did not have much time before Buffy’s 17th birthday and Angelus return. Letting out a sigh he closed his eyes and tried to go back to sleep as he knew it was going to be a long day, before his vision faded out the image of a beautiful redhead appeared in his mind before it faded along with his consciousness.

+FB+

(Sunnydale High)

Xander sneaked onto the school grounds and headed directly to the library knowing there was another half hour to go before it officially opened, but he wanted to at least get to Giles before the others turned up. If he could convince Giles of the truth then it was half the battle done, and one thing he knew Giles had knowledge of was Janus. Entering the library he found Giles doing inventory looking somewhat tired and annoyed, more than likely having just got through the usual faculty meeting with Snyder and the rest of the teachers.

“Xander?” he questioned upon taking note of his presence. “You are not supposed to be here yet, and I have never known you to arrive so damn early” he pointed out. 

“We need to talk Giles before the others arrive and note I am more serious than you have ever seen” Xander shot back as he sat down at the table. “How much do you know about Janus Giles?” he inquired taking the older man by surprise. 

“Enough to know one doesn’t take his name lightly as I think you already have found out from our encounter with Ethan and my own past history with the group we used to run with in our youths” Giles answered as he too sat down wondering where this discussion was heading. “His powers are in the upper echelon of higher beings, he has multiple   
faces aimed at different aspects of his personality” he continued. “He can be a very unpredictable being, when one gains his favour it is not without its dangers” he added.

“Well Giles I gained his favour or more to the point my future self will gain his favour, I will have multiple run ins with him over the years until my last meeting with him as I lay dying in the ruins of Sunnydale in the year 2025” Xander stated cutting into Giles’s explanation. 

“What are you talking about, have you lost your senses?” Giles inquired removing his glasses and putting them on the table as he stared at the rather intense looking young man. 

“No Giles I haven’t, take a closer look at my face and take note of the scar that now runs down my left eye” Xander replied and once he noted the Watcher had done as he asked he continued. “That was not there yesterday or even before I went to bed, it happened during the night when the transference occurred” he told him. “What transference?” Giles inquired standing up and beginning to pace. 

“Memories Giles, memories of a future that for us has not happened yet” Xander answered calmly. “I will make a deal with Janus as I lay dying to come back and try and stop the end of the world and if possible save as many of our friends lives as possible, I will also promise to give the Powers many headaches over the coming years for allowing events to reach the point it did” he explained. “And I can prove what I say by one word Giles one word only” he added. 

“And that word is?” Giles inquired wondering if the boy was telling the truth or had lost his mind. 

“Cruciamentum” Xander stated even as his eyes darkened and seemed to glare at him.

Giles felt his body freeze up in horror as the word was spoken; it was not a word Xander was supposed to know or any of the group. But did that prove what he was telling him or had he come across something in one of the books he had read maybe one he missed in removing from his collection no, none of the books he used to help Buffy in her duties dealt with the Council and their traditions. 

“What do you know about that?” Giles asked warily. 

“It’s a test held on the Slayer’s 18th birthday designed to see if they are what the Council calls a true Slayer when in reality I think it was designed to keep control of the Slayer line and ensure none of them got old enough to break from them” Xander growled out as he recalled Buffy’s own Cruciamentum next year. “The Watcher of the Slayer is ordered to drug his Slayer with a formula that will strip them of their speed, strength and extra senses and dull their reflexes which is why most Slayers if not all who reach 18 died then and there” he continued his tone growing darker. “Only a few have made it past the test and of those most die pretty quickly afterwards somehow, and I would not be surprised to find the Council responsible for those deaths” he mused. “Once the Slayer is deemed ready they are forced to fight a Master Vampire, if they live they are regarded as a true Slayer and if they die they are considered a failure or at the least an average Slayer and one last thing if the Watcher fails in his duty to drug his Slayer or warns her of the test he   
is immediately fired” he finished. 

Giles felt himself collapse into a chair as his faced paled with Xander’s almost perfect description of the Cruciamentum, it was knowledge he could not possibly have and yet he clearly did have it. The look in the boy’s eyes sent shivers down his spine as he considered the fact that next year would be Buffy’s 18th birthday, and he suddenly realised if Xander was telling the truth he would have more than likely done his duty and performed the test on Buffy hence the dark look and anger in Xander’s tone. 

“Tell me Giles how can the Watchers claim to be the protectors and guardians of the Slayer line when they use a test that kills nearly 90% of them that reach 18?” Xander inquired. 

“Truthfully I do not know, many have argued against its continued use in current times including myself and my Father before me” Giles answered with a sigh picking up his glasses and wiping them with his handkerchief absently as it gave him something to focus on other than the knowledge of how many young girls had probably died going through the Cruciamentum. “The Council is run by men steeped in centuries old traditions that they do not want to change, more than likely due the idea they would lose the power they process” he admitted. “The very fact you know what you do gives your tail weight, but before I believe Janus is behind this please show me your wrist” he requested.   
Xander frowned but got up and moved over to where Giles sat and pulling his jumper up showed him his wrist, it was now that Xander noticed something he had missed when he had dressed this morning. On his wrist was a tattoo, a tattoo of the many headed Janus. Giles simply nodded his head and let out a sigh, clearing Xander was not mad and had clearly found favour with Janus. 

“I once too had the mark of Janus when I was young but it faded away when I joined the Watchers and became mired in their traditions and rules” Giles admitted as he stood up and faced the boy. “I believe you Xander, you bear the mark and that could come from no other way but one from Janus himself” he stated. “I take it we are in for dark times?” he inquired making Xander snort at the massive understatement.

“You have no idea Giles, what is coming is a nightmare and it starts with Angel and Buffy” Xander replied with a sad shake of his head. “I need you to call Jenny in here; she can help me explain what I mean” he requested. 

Giles considered the request and wondered what Jenny had to do with Angel and Buffy, still best find out before his charge made her appearance especially if it was something that the blond Slayer would not like. He quickly returned with a very confused looking Jenny Calendar, he had given a quick brief summary of why he needed her to come to the library thus Xander would not have to repeat what he had already said.

“Ok Jenny is here Xander now what does Angel and Buffy have to do with the nightmares you say are to come?” Giles inquired missing the very uneasy look that Jenny now wore as she waited for Xander to give up her true identity if what Giles had told her held any truth. 

“I’m sorry Jenny but Giles needs to know the truth about your mission here and about who you really are” Xander started directing his first statement to the uneasy woman watching him. 

“I’m sorry what mission and what do you mean who she really is?” Giles inquired instantly confused. 

“Go ahead Xander best get it out of the way now” Jenny finally said with a sigh as she sat down and trembled slightly at what reaction Rupert would have to who she was and   
why she was really in Sunnydale.

“Jenny’s true name is Janna Kalderash of the Kalderash Tribe who long ago cursed Angelus with his soul and thus created Angel, since that time a member of the tribe has watched Angel no matter where he is to keep an eye on him and ensure the curse holds” Xander explained glancing sympathetically at Jenny who watched Giles closely for his reaction. “She couldn’t tell you Giles just like you cannot tell Buffy about the Cruciamentum, orders from the Tribal elders” he stated as Giles continued to absorb his answer. 

“Why do they need to ensure the curse holds?” Giles inquired as a way of distracting himself from thinking about Jenny’s true identity and the possibility she had been using him to keep a close eye on Angel. 

“Come on Giles you know better than that” Xander chided him. “Curses are always meant to be broken no matter what, problem is the Elders never tell their selected watcher how the curse will be broken so they have no idea what to watch out for” he informed him. “Jenny’s mission will fail and due to us allowing Buffy to fuel our anger at her supposed betrayal we will push Jenny out of the group, in her desperation to make things right she will try and retranslate the soul curse into English so as to cast it on Angelus once more but she will be discovered by Drusilla who sees what she is up to and warns the bastard” he explained causing Jenny to pale as she realised what was to happen to her in things played out the same. 

“I die at his hands another of the Kalderash lost to that sadistic cruel animal” Jenny spat bitterly. 

“Two actually, your Uncle comes to Sunnydale to explain the truth of the curse and dies first before you Jenny” Xander admitted with a sigh. “We were stupid allowing Buffy’s anger at you to force you out, you had a duty to perform and we should have excepted that as you have been a good ally to us since we joined up with Buffy” he told her as Giles sat down and tried to process this rather horrible tale of events to come. “You had no choice but to follow your orders, but all Buffy saw was the loss of her lover disgusting though that idea still is and that is not jealously talking Giles as I know that is what Buffy and Willow who is blinded by the idea that Buffy and Angel are playing out Romeo and Juliet” he continued. “Don’t forget I am in a relationship with Cordelia right now, and there has been no feelings for Buffy since she used me as a damn stripper pole to make that undead twit jealous when she first came back this year” he stated. 

“Oh by the goddess Uncle Enyos not him as well, it had to be him who would come to tell me the truth” Jenny cried out in shock as she realised who Xander meant when he said her Uncle, granting she had three back in the Tribe but only one she was close too and saw as a mentor. 

“I’m sorry Jenny but with luck it will never come to pass any of it but to do ensure it does not happen we have to somehow convince Buffy and Angel to give one another up” Xander told her as warmly as he could.

“Why?” Giles inquired finally putting aside his disquiet about Jenny’s identity and pulling her into what he hoped was a comforting hug, he was relieved she seemed to embrace it as just that. “Why is splitting them up so important?” he asked again only defining what he was asking. 

“Angel’s curse is anchored sorely by the pain and suffering he feels for Angelus crimes, if even for a moment he completely stops feeling that pain and suffering the curse will break and sadly Buffy can give him that one moment like she will on her 17th birthday” Xander answered. “At the worst possible moment as well, because it will be at the time Spike and Drusilla attempt to reassemble the Judge” he added.

“Oh good Lord please tell me you are joking?” Giles insisted paling as he recalled everything he knew about the Judge and just how powerful it had been and what it had taken to defeat him the last time he had been whole. 

“Afraid none of this is a joke Giles, seeing what is to come for all of us is a literal nightmare” Xander summed up his thoughts on knowing the future. “I will be the last Scooby to die or at least approach death before I made my deal with Janus, me the so called normal one can you imagine how much death and destruction I witnessed including the loss of two women I loved as well as all of my friends most who died and some who were corrupted?” he inquired but expected no answer. 

“Buffy will never believe this Xander you have to know that?” Jenny spoke up finally regaining some control of her emotions after the revelations of what Xander had told her was to come. “She is completely under Angel’s thrall” she pointed out.

“I know it will be hard to do Jenny but we have to do it and what is truly insane is I am counting on Angel seeing the wisdom of this, not Buffy” Xander agreed. “Angel did once show some brains when he left Sunnydale at the end of next year when he realises he can’t be in constant contact with Buffy without slipping up again, he refuses to take the risk and thus goes to L.A” he explained at their looks of disbelief. 

“Still it will be very hard for Buffy to except it even if and I do stress the if Angel can be counted on to see sense” Giles concluded feeling today was going to turn into an uphill struggle. 

“At least by convincing you two first I have won half the battle Giles, you know Janus the best in the here and now and Jenny knowns I cannot possible know what I can any other way than my tale even with it sounding like something out of the movies” Xander stated as he sat back down at the table. 

“I suppose with our agreement you have knowledge you cannot possible know it will give your story some credibility” Jenny agreed with a nod of her head. “Xander I can’t help but ask you said some of us will be corrupted, I would like to know who you referred too?” she inquired instantly gaining Giles complete attention.  
Xander let out a sigh and ran a hand through his hair wondering how to tell Giles especially that the two young women he saw as daughters would fall; he knew the older man especially saw so much potential in Willow. Buffy was the daughter of his heart whilst Willow was more the daughter of his brain and intelligence, so how did he explain they would lose their way and become consumed by the darkness they fought. 

“I’ll tell you because it might it easier explaining it later to the others, but Giles just keep a hold of your temper and remember if we are lucky it never has to happen” Xander finally said. “Buffy and Willow will become consumed by the powers they process, and I am not just talking about personal power such as the Slayer package and magic but power over others” he admitted to Giles complete horror. “Willow will fall into a complete addiction to magic, not a surprise since her first spell was the soul curse which Jenny completed translating before her death” he added bitterly. “As I said this thing with Angel starts the ball rolling for our mistakes and errors leading to our fall, without proper guidance she keeps leaping far ahead of where she should be and the magic will burn her goodness up from the inside so all that’s left is the darker parts of her soul” he told them amazed Giles hadn’t lost his temper yet. “The last slim hope we had of saving her was lost where a new ally called Tara was murdered right in front of her eyes, she skinned the bastard who did it alive Giles and then went on to try and end the world forcing me to confront her as Buffy was busy fending of some zombies and she had drained you of the power you got from some coven to confront her with” he pushed on with his tale. 

“Why didn’t I take her under my wing and guide her?” Giles asked trying to keep an urge to yell and shout at Xander for telling him how the young woman he saw possibly becoming his apprentice and taking his place as a Watcher would fall in such a horrific way. 

“You always had other problems to deal with mostly dealing with Buffy, after we dealt with Angelus and his attempt to end the world with Acathula she ran away for the Summer and you spent it searching for her” Xander answered as Jenny got up and began to make Giles a cup of tea to try and help him calm down. “Once she returned you had other problems, some stemming from Joyce finding out about Buffy’s role as the Slayer then Faith Kendra’s replacement turning up then your firing when you helped Buffy deal with that damn test of the Watcher’s and also our big fight against an even worse big bad than Angelus and his buddies” he informed him. “Willow seemed to be doing fine and I am sure you thought she knew better than to get ahead of herself in her studies, perhaps you gave her too much credit but she abused that and went too far too fast” he concluded with a shake of his head as Giles accepted the cup of tea from Jenny. 

Giles couldn’t help but curse his future self as he knew more than anyone what the abuse of magic could lead too, he, Ethan and their friends had pushed the boundaries far more than was safe for any human and if he was lucky to still have his soul. Lucky that he had been able to pull away and redeem himself somewhat, especially in the eyes of his Father rebuild their relationship before his death. He should have known better than to leave Willow to her own devices where magic was concerned, should not have taken it on faith she would know not to rush things. Clearly he had given her too much credit and allowed her to drown in her power, completely oblivious to what was happening to her. 

“What happened to Buffy?” he inquired downing half the cup of tea even though it was still pretty hot. 

“As you know she died last year if even for a short time but it was still enough to mess her up, she came back still pretty much messed up by what happened and to be honest our mistake was not getting to see someone to talk it out Giles and that was the beginning for her” Xander began knowing so far he had been lucky Giles was still in control of himself. “Her relationship with Angel and its fallout once Angelus returned due to her mistake and its consequences pushed her further down the path, the next two years proved just as troublesome and hard as mistakes and hardships followed but she managed to hold her head above water” he added looking troubled as he recalled what he knew. “It was their first year of college that things changed as Spike became a semi attached member of the group after a military black ops group implanted a chip into his head stopping him from killing people and with Angel now in LA I guess she saw him as a new project to work on although thankfully there was no romantic feelings involved at the start” he continued. “The year after we ended up fighting an honest to god hell goddess Giles, halfway through that mess we lost Joyce to a brain aneurism which devastated us all but Buffy and Dawn especially and at the end during the final battle she sacrificed herself to stop the hell goddess” he paused as he stood as paced a little. 

“Oh dear god a hell goddess” Giles mumbled as he finished his cup of tea. “And the loss of Joyce would have played havoc on her but who is Dawn and why would losing Joyce impact her as much as Buffy?” he managed to inquire. 

“Dawn is another subject for another day Giles and I best get into it when Buffy is with us” Xander replied. “At the end of that fight I left Sunnydale and the group as I had become fed up with the way I was treated by them, ignored and not taken seriously anymore and thus everything I know about what happened next came from outside sources” he explained launching back into his explanation. “Willow by that point had crossed a line when she used black power to attack the hell goddess the year before, she became obsessed with resurrecting Buffy and from what I am told used the ritual of Osiris to bring her back to life but she fucked up in leaving Buffy’s body in the coffin buried underground forcing Buffy to claw her way up like a damn Vampire” he went only to be cut off by Giles who looked enraged. 

“I would never have allowed Willow to perform such a ritual Xander no matter what had transpired” Giles insisted knowing exactly how dangerous that particular ritual was. 

“You weren’t there Giles, from what I heard you left Sunnydale after Buffy’s funeral and headed back to England for a time so you weren’t there to stop her” Xander explained with a helpless shrug. “Anyway Buffy was back but she was mentally damaged from been dead and then brought back again and again there was no attempt to get her any kind of help, it was here Spike began to gain influence over her and convince her she had come back wrong due to the fact he could hurt her and a very disturbing relationship began” he went on noting the darkening look in the Watcher’s eyes. “It continued for most of the year but she did try and pull away only for Spike to attempt to rape her before fleeing Sunnydale and somehow gaining a soul but from what I heard it wasn’t like Angel’s deal thus still acted very much like a normal Vampire” he told them. “The last year of Sunnydale brought the worst fight ever against the First Evil and its forces, it wiped out the Watcher’s Council and began picking off the potential Slayers as fast as it could” he continued. “Before their destruction they sent a bunch of potential Slayers to Sunnydale so Buffy could protect them, sadly their faith was misplaced a sense of power overwhelmed her and egged on by Spike treated them like the Council had treated Slayers over the years and even once locked some potentials in a crypt to fight a Vampire on their own” he paused as he noted the look of horror Giles wore at this detail. “One died the others managed to kill the Vampire but it caused some anger towards Buffy and Spike, it got worse as she led them all against the enemy stronghold without proper recon and strategy and lost several of the potentials only to go back and try the same thing once more thus causing her to be kicked out of the leadership position in favour of Faith for a time” he moved on wanting to get through this. “Eventually using an ancient weapon found in the enemy stronghold Willow created a spell to activate every Slayer there was, had I been there I would have argued to alter it to only effect those potentials in Sunnydale but they didn’t and thus hundreds of young girls were activated and a lot of them died never knowing why as they were hunted down and killed by Demons and Vampires” he paused before continuing. “They defeated the first and destroyed its forces and even closed the hellmouth destroying Sunnydale in the process, but they lost a hell of a lot of lives thankfully Spike was one of the causalities but he had already done the damage” he stated. 

“Her sense of been in charge I assume?” Giles inquired feeling sick at the idea of the girl he looked upon like a daughter call fall so far. 

“Yeah she started acting like only she could be the leader and treating those under her like slaves, they created a new Council and began to recruit the new Slayers as well as new Watchers to help fight an influx of enemies” Xander nodded in agreement with his statement. “She began dating another wanker called the Immortal and he used her to get involved with the new Council quickly finding likeminded people who just wanted power, he corrupted many of them and when he no longer needed Buffy he killed her and you and took complete control of the corrupt Council” he explained. “Faith and those like her tried to stop it but they were wiped out, the world fell into darkness and war followed soon after with very few left to fight” he concluded. 

“Where were you in all this why didn’t you try and help this Faith and her followers?” Jenny inquired. 

“Fighting my own wars Jenny alongside my own people and a woman I had come to love, I didn’t find out about any of this until after it had happened and by then it was too late to help Faith and her people” Xander answered. “I also had made a vow not to go back to Sunnydale and I held to that until forced to go back when they tried to reactivate the hellmouth and there I fell along with the rest of my people, all dead fighting a battle that had already been lost so long ago” he muttered feeling the agony of loss his future self-had felt as he watched his friends and allies fall. 

“I find it hard to believe you would ever leave Sunnydale Xander, what about Cordelia?” Giles inquired looking at the clock on the wall and noting that they had another ten minutes before the school officially opened.

“I lose her next year due to my own stupidity and hormones, I cheated on her with Willow and it blew up in my face and I think that was the moment my position in the group began to fade as Cordy wanted nothing to do with me and Buffy and the rest of your blamed the whole thing on me whilst Willow cut herself from me so she could get back with her boyfriend” Xander answered. “I became the least needed person around, I fucked up but what I got was way beyond what was needed and it only got worse for me as the next two years progressed” he added with a conflicted look in his eyes. “Funny thing is I still can’t understand how I ended up in the position with Willow, I’ve only ever looked at her like a sister and yet somehow someway I end up having an affair with her behind Cordy’s back” he mused unable to process what his future self-had been thinking. “It was the beginning of Cordy’s losses as next her parents were arrested for tax evasion thus she lost all her money and possessions and then after the end of next year she left for L.A to be an actress but ended up helping deadboy in his new mission, that ended in tears for her and it just seems so scripted like all those losses were made to happen so she would go to LA and hook up with Angel thus leading to her eventual fate” he continued almost lost in his own thoughts. 

“You’re leaving things out aren’t you?” Jenny inquired having been listing quietly as Xander and Giles talked about the slow downfall of Buffy and Willow knowing it had to be difficult for Rupert to handle. 

“Yes I am but it’s better that way Jenny at least for now” Xander shot back hoping they wouldn’t press for more. 

“You’ve told us how Buffy and myself dies but you didn’t mention how Willow dies please what happened to her?” Giles inquired. 

“You don’t want to know that Giles believe me I wish I didn’t know” Xander insisted but Giles persisted as he knew he would thus he relented. “I will kill her Giles with my own hands in 2015 when she attempts a ritual to gain power beyond mortal comprehension, to do it she will sacrifice five people including the woman I love to achieve it thus I will track her down and end her once and for all” he informed him feeling cold as the memories of that moment surfaced. 

Giles and Jenny both stared at Xander unable to truly comprehend what he was saying, before this day it had always been apparent that Xander and Willow the closest of friends almost like family but clearly it had now ended that way if the look in his eyes was anything to go by. The idea that the young red head would sink so low as to sacrifice five people including a woman Xander loved showed she must have truly lost her way, and clearly the woman who had been lost had meant everything to Xander if it had pushed Xander to actually track Willow down and kill her. 

“I want to argue about your vision of the future Xander where they are concerned but I can hear the honest to god horror in your tone as you spoke, the look in your eyes tells the tale as well” Giles finally said feeling weary. “I just do not know how we are going to explain this to them now, the very idea of what their futures may entail for them down the line could destroy them” he admitted. 

“You think I like been the messenger Giles I don’t, like I said the minute I tell them about how Angel’s curse can be broken I bet you they will accuse me on making everything up and still be jealous of their relationship” Xander told him frustrated because he knew they faced an uphill struggle. “That is why I came here early and talked to you too first, at least with you guys on side they will at least listen because I can prove I know things I can’t know even about them” he stated. 

“Let’s hope it is enough or this isn’t just going to go badly from the start” Giles concluded as he stood and made his way into his office to pull some of his personal journals about the Watchers, Janus and Angelus. 

“I note you didn’t actual tell us how Buffy can break the curse” Jenny said into the silence as they waited for his return and the eventual arrival of the others. “Obviously it is not as simple as her having feelings for him, so what is the trigger?” she inquired. “It may help in the future if we can avoid his release in the here and now, thus ensuring other Watchers for him are alert to the truth” she added.

“On her 17th birthday after a big fight against Spike, Dru and their forces to gain a piece of the Judge and prevent him from been woken they will sleep together and I don’t mean mindless sex but honest to god making love” Xander answered unable to hide the disgust he felt at very idea of a human and Vampire having sexual relations and Jenny’s face instantly showed her own disgust.

“Oh god that is sick” Jenny gasped in honest to god horror, her mind could not comprehend the idea of a human actually willingly having sex or making love to a Vampire no matter if it did have a soul as the soul like with Humans could be as black as any Demon. “How can anyone let alone a Slayer sleep with a Vampire which is nothing but a corpse, it doesn’t breath or have any body heat” she protested. 

“I believe all Buffy sees or has ever seen is his good looks and considering how she was described in Merrik’s diary’s as a typical cheerleader type with more interest in boys than seeing a world beyond such things well that is not too surprising” Giles said as he exited his office with the journals and books he had collected. “After all that is what he was called over the years Angelus of the Angelic face” he pointed out as a bell rang signifying the beginning of the school day. “Still the error is not hers alone it is mine for every allowing their relationship to blossom, no matter that he has helped us I should have ensured he could not get too close to Buffy” he stated darkly. “The folly of my choice to allow it has now been made clear to us all, Angelus released and Jenny killed” he growled. 

“And sadly Buffy bears some responsibility for it as he had gotten so close she would not kill him even after we beat the Judge and she had him dead to rights, we lost a dozen people including several of our classmates before we lost Jenny and only then did she snap out of whatever funk she was in and prepare to do her duty” Xander admitted. “She still allowed him to play her whenever they came into contact even leaving Kendra to defend the library on her own during Willow’s first attempt to cast the soul spell so she could meet with him even though we told her it was a trap, she wouldn’t listen and it got Kendra killed and you Giles were kidnapped and tortured so Angelus could learn how to activate Acathula” he pushed on knowing there was no point in stopping now. “She had to be pushed the last little bit for the final showdown by Whistler a balance Demon, I was forced to lie to her about Willow redoing the soul spell even though she had just come out a coma as I knew it would wreck Buffy’s concentration and thankfully she managed to do it she stopped him been forced to send him to hell as he had activated Acathula and only his blood could stop it” he continued. “She ran away after that for the summer, as Joyce had also discovered the truth of her role as the Slayer I suppose the argument they got into just helped push her past any point of wanting to stay” he finished. 

“I dread to think of what else you can tell us about what is to come” Jenny said with a shiver as she began to pick up the sounds of arriving students. 

“We’ll only just begun to get into this mess Jenny” Xander told her calmly making her shiver again whilst Giles contemplated just what kind of effect this was all having on the young man’s psyche.


	2. Chapter 2

+FB+

Buffy Summers walked onto the school grounds with Willow by her side having met up on the way, they both noted Cordelia holding court with her groupies the so called Cordettes. Neither were big fans of the brunette especially Willow but she was a member of the group, worse in Willow’s view it had recently been found out she was also the girlfriend of their other friend Xander Harris. How he could put up with the sarcastic annoying brunette was beyond them, Buffy thought he would be better off with Willow but she knew he didn’t see the redhead in that way, nor could he be forced to see her that way. Best she stay out of that mess especially as they had clashed a hell of a lot due to   
Xander been against her relationship with Angel, she knew a lot of it came from jealously on his side although he said differently since he started up with Cordy but she didn’t believe him. Entering the school itself she missed the look the redhead exchanged with the short young man with the orange dyed hair, heading for the library as they did everyday they passed a few people they knew including one or two they had saved such as Amy Madison who waved at them as they passed.   
Inside the library they were shocked to find Xander already inside looking somewhat moody whilst Miss Calendar and Giles looked shocked and distressed; they both wondered just what the hell had happened since last night. 

“Okay not the kind of faces I wanted to be greeted with first thing in the morning” Buffy said hoping to gain their attention. “What’s up?” she inquired. 

“To be frank a lot Buffy but it will have to wait till the end of the day, we’d never get through it all if we started now” Giles answered recovering the fastest out of the three. “I would however like you to ensure Angel join us for the meeting tonight” he requested making Buffy frown as she knew Giles was no big fan of her lover than Xander was and usually did not request he join them. 

“Willow I’ll need you to ensure Oz is here as well as this will involve him” Xander added surprising the redhead before frowning wondering how Xander knew she knew Oz.

“Who’s Oz?” Buffy inquired confused.

“Hasn’t told you yet Buff, he is a member of Dingoes ate my baby and her crush” Xander answered before Willow could say anything. Buffy looked shocked at this and turned to her friend who was blushing heavily; she was also frowning clearly annoyed at Xander’s description. 

She wondered how she had missed the signs of Willow having someone else to crush on besides Xander; she supposed she had been so caught up in her own life to notice. The thought made her frown at how much that made her sound like a bad friend, she vowed to pay closer attention in the future.

“I will make sure Cordy is there as well then we can start getting into this mess” Xander added ignoring the instant frowns that crossed the faces of Willow and Buffy at the mention of his girlfriend. 

“What’s this all about, something to do with Spike and Drusilla?” Buffy demanded to know wondering at the secrecy and why Xander seemed to be in the know before she did. 

“In one aspect yes but in another not at all but it can wait until tonight but be prepared for a long discussion as there will be no patrol and what we have to discuss is important” Giles replied. “Just make sure Angel is here as well” he added as he went through the books and journals he hoped would aide in the night’s discussion.

“Fine Giles but it better be as important as you say it is” Buffy agreed with a sigh before sitting down at the table joined by Willow who still looked uneasy by Xander’s knowledge of Oz and her interest in them. 

“How did you know about Oz?” Willow finally asked after a short silence. 

“I do pay attention to things going on around me Willow, I am not blind” Xander answered glancing at her and trying very hard to see his friend and not the woman who would sacrifice the woman he loved. “From what I hear about him he is a good guy with a good rep, also he is the guy Buffy threatened during the whole business with the Tarakans” he stated causing Buffy to duck her head as she recalled slamming the young man against a wall thinking he was one of the assassins sent to kill her. 

“Oh” was all Willow could think to say as she had thought she had been pretty circumspect in her liking of the young guitarist but clearly she had been mistaken.

“Anyway class will be starting soon and I feel the need for some fresh air first so I will see you guys later” Xander said before getting up and heading out of the library pleased his talk with Giles and Jenny had gone so well but that was nothing compared to what he had to try and do later that night. He missed the speculative look Buffy shot him as he walked out of the door, frowning the blond haired Slayer wondered just what was going on. 

“Ok Giles just tell me this why is it that Xander seems to know what is up but we don’t.” Buffy asked looking at her Watcher carefully.

Giles looked back at her with an unreadable expression for a few seconds. “Xander is at the forefront of what is up Buffy and believe me no one wishes he wasn’t than himself, Jenny and I have can already confirm he is not making things up on the fly due to the fact he has information he cannot have by any means available to him at the moment” he informed her. “Plus other evidence also puts him what he has to say in the trust box, so tonight when he starts talking try and not allow your personal feelings and beliefs get the in the way and just listen, like we did” he cautioned her before heading back into his office with Jenny following. 

“I don’t like this” Willow muttered. “Something seems really off” she stated. 

“I know same here” Buffy agreed wondering just what it was Xander supposedly knew that had convinced Giles and Mrs Calendar he was on the level. “But clearly we’ll have to wait cause none of them are talking, usually I can get anything out them if I ask but not this time” she said with a shake of her head. “Anyway come on we’ve got class we can talk about this later, also I’ll have to let Angel know about tonight’s meeting” she added as she got up and led her friend out of the library not noticing Giles and Jenny come out of his office to watch. 

“Do you think they will listen to anything Xander has to say once he mentions how Angel’s curse can be broken?” Jenny inquired. 

“I hope so Jenny I really do or history as Xander has somewhat lived it will repeat itself and we will find ourselves doomed” Giles answered honestly instead of his standard answer where his Slayer was concerned. 

+FB+

Outside Xander leaned against the far railing wondering if tonight would be as explosive as he thought it would be, granted he wouldn’t be able to get through all he knew in one night but he could hit the high points and that would be enough to cause a lot of anger to explode. Closing his eyes leaned his head down and thus missed the shadow descending on him from behind; Cordelia had noticed her boyfriend come out of the school but had not noticed him enter which had confused her as he was usually one of the last to arrive. To someone who knew Xander as well as she did even if for most of their time in school she had tried to forget their shared childhood, she knew instantly when he looked stressed and this was one of those times. Thus she had excused herself from her so called friends to go see what was wrong, their relationship whilst still very much a secret from most of the school and especially her parents was important to her even if she still had the odd thought about why it was. She sometimes wondered just when it was she developed feelings for Xander, but then no matter when she had started feeling that way it was a far more intense set of emotions that with any other boy she had dated. More than likely it was because she knew it was far more real a relationship, Xander had risked his life to protect her on more than one occasion before their big first kiss in Buffy’s basement of all places whilst dealing with Norman the bug assassin guy. 

“Hey you okay?” she asked coming up behind him and resting a hand on his back thankful they were out of the way of anyone still coming into the school or those still hanging around outside. 

“If I said I was fine would you believe me?” Xander inquired trying not to react too much to Cordelia’s actual presence as it brought forth a whole flood of emotions he could barely control. 

“Not for a minute because I know you Xander better than most people, the look on your face as you walked out of the school said it all you are stressed” Cordelia shot back.   
Xander stood up straight and faced her locking their gazes together, Cordelia was staggered by the look of love and loss she saw staring at her and was unable to comprehend where it was coming from as whilst she and Xander were together they were not that tight yet as their relationship was still pretty new. 

“What happened to your eye, where did that scar come from?” she demanded to know and he was honestly not surprised she had noticed it and yet Buffy and Willow had not. 

“Something happened to me last night Cordy that will change all our lives from this point onwards, I am Buffy and Willow will call me crazy or think I’ve watched one too many movies but I haven’t” Xander answered. “The scar is part of what happened although you won’t understand the how just yet, it does however help prove what I will be telling us all tonight” He told her. “I’ve already proved something has happened to Giles and Jenny, sorry Miss Calendar so they know I am not messing around but what I have to say won’t be easy for any of you to hear and believe me I don’t like the fact I am the messenger because usually the messengers in these kind of situations get the blame” he pressed on taking note of the confused look in her eyes. “Just trust me when I say I will do whatever it takes to ensure things happen differently than they did last time, you are one of the most important things in my life and whilst for you that may sound strange for me I know it’s the truth” he added before leaning forward and kissing her gently taking her briefly by surprise but Cordelia quickly recovered and eagerly returned the kiss which turned more and more passionate before they finally separated.   
Cordelia stared into Xander’s eyes wondering at the new sudden certainty and love she saw in his gaze, the way he had spoken as if he knew for a fact they could make it as a couple. It had all come out of nowhere, but the kiss they had just shared told her even more than his statement. The kiss had been far more passionate and loving than anything she had shared with Xander or any previous boyfriend, she imagined it was the kind of kiss true lovers gave one another. She felt uneasy and yet happy as this twist, hopefully though he would tell her what had happened to bring all this out. 

“We’re having a meeting tonight and you need to be there, you need to know the truth as much as the others maybe in some ways even more than them” Xander told her after a brief silence just staring at one another. “Just trust I won’t hurt you” he whispered before kissing her once more before walking around her and leaving her standing there trying to process Xander’s sudden personality changes. 

Frowning she wondered just what he was hiding and why he was so insistent she trust in him not only to protect her but not to hurt her, what was he hiding? No he wasn’t hiding things as he had said they were going to have a meeting tonight to discuss what was bothering him, the sudden blearing of the bell startled her and made her realise she must have been standing in a daze far longer than she had meant to. Turning She headed for the entrance and trying her best not to think too much about the kiss she had just shared with Xander, or about what it was that had changed him so suddenly. 

+FB+ 

By the end of the day Xander was more uneasy than he ever had been because he just knew the meeting was not going to be a simple affair, it was going to involve a lot of screaming and accusations. As the final bell rang out he got up and packed away his stuff before putting his bag on his shoulder and heading for the library, technology was one of the only classes he had without any of the others been in the same class. Jesse had once been in the class with him before his death, but now he took it on his own. Entering the library he found Giles already inside with Willow also present alongside a very confused looking Oz, seeing his friend from a life he hadn’t even lived in this time line again made him smile. Oz had been a good friend, loyal to the cause even with the fact he was a werewolf. The only time he had been on the outs with Oz was during the whole fluke thing that had happened next year although he swore it would not happen this time, beyond that Oz had filled the whole Jesse’s death had opened up. Even after he had left Sunnydale once he had broken up with Willow he had aided Xander and his allies a few times in combating various foes before his untimely death, Xander and his allies had ensured the hunters who had killed Oz paid with their own lives. Buffy soon arrived looking somewhat annoyed and clearly anxious to hear what was going on, Cordelia was the last to enter and quickly headed straight for him. He ignored the looks Buffy and Willow exchanged as he greeted his girlfriend with a small but passionate kiss, now all they had to do was wait for Angel to show up and they could begin. Luckily the tunnel system that ran underneath Sunnydale would allow him to reach them even with the fact it was still sunny outside, as one of its entrances came up right in the library. 

“So Xander, Giles let’s hear it” Buffy demanded as she sat with a frown. 

“Not yet Buffy sorry but Angel isn’t here yet and I ain’t going over this twice” Xander shot back as he prayed this meeting went better than he feared it would. “Oz good to see you again, I know you are confused right now about why I asked for you to be included but it will make sense once we start” he added turning to the dyed haired guitarist. 

“I’ve got nothing else to do this afternoon as Devon is out with a cold” Oz responded with an easy smile. 

“Whilst we wait for deadboy maybe we better bring Oz up to date with reality Giles, he will become a part of this group anyway due to the fact he and Willow like one another” Xander suggested ignoring the blush this caused Willow to sport whilst Oz almost looked surprise and curious. “Er. Maybe an odd question Oz but have you been waking up anywhere odd lately?” he inquired holding up a hand to stop Giles’s response. 

Oz did look surprised at this question before frowning slightly which was quite a show of emotion as he was usually so laid back in his memories. “Yes actually, for the last month or two I’ve woken up in the woods stark naked, no memories of how I got there” he admitted hoping these people might have the answer to this problem. 

“Did you happen to notice that those few days you’ve woken up like that happened during and after the full moon?” Xander inquired making Oz frown more whilst Giles and Jenny looked surprised by what this meant. “You are a werewolf Oz, you were bitten by your little cousin Jody sometime back, that was all it took and thus every month during the time of the full moon you will change” he informed him. Willow now looked shocked and outraged whilst Buffy was looking at Oz with clear suspicion. 

“Huh” Oz responded taking note that no one here challenged Xander in claiming him a Werewolf. “Do you mind if I just use you phone Mr. Giles?” he inquired. 

“Please be my guest” Giles replied and allowed the young man into his office to use the phone. 

“What the hell Xander” Willow growled thinking this all some sort of ploy. “Why did you tell him that?” she demanded to know. 

“It’s the truth and he needs to know Willow” Xander answered calmly unaffected by her anger. “Getting angry won’t change that fact” he added as she growled at him. 

“If it is the truth Xander, how is it you know about it when he even he didn’t?” Buffy inquired with clear suspicion. 

“I’ll answer that once we are all here and ready to listen Buffy and not before” Xander shot back easily ignoring the look this caused her to have. 

Before Buffy or Willow could say anything in response Oz came back out of the office looking off balance and uneasy, he sat back down as Giles re-joined them as well. Willow watched Oz wanting to comfort him from what had to be a shock; clearly what Xander had claimed about him was true if the look on his face was anything to go by. Giles removed his glasses and gave them a quick polish before calling for Oz’s attention, and once he had it he began to fill in the young man about the truths of the world including the facts he knew about Werewolves. Oz listened intently pushing aside the fact that his aunt and uncle had hidden the truths about themselves and his cousin Jody when he had babysat for him, his cousin had bit him and thus transformed him into a Werewolf as well. In the space of a few minutes his entire world turned upside down, all the things he had once believed to be nothing but myths and legends were real and the small group of people here actually went out and fought them nearly every night. It was mind blowing, and yet it all made a strange sort of sense as well. By the time Giles had finished his tale Angel finally emerged from the tunnel system looking wary, he moved to the table and sat down. 

“Buffy said you wanted us all here for some important meeting” Angel said once he was settled. 

“Oz this is Angel formerly the undead scourge of Europe known as Angelus before he was cursed with a soul” Xander said without fanfare. “He is to some here an ally and to others a lose affiliate of the group, he just also happens to be Buffy’s boyfriend” he added making Oz very confused. 

“How can she date a Vampire?” Oz inquired missing the look of fury Buffy was now sending Xander’s way. 

“Good question” Jenny couldn’t help but mutter.

“Enough, we are not here to discuss my dating choices” Buffy finally snapped. “Now what the hell is going on Giles?” she demanded to know. 

“Something has happened to Xander that will change the future of this entire group Buffy, and before you question this I have already seen the proof Buffy” Giles answered. “Not only the scar that now runs down his left eye but he bears the mark of Janus on his wrist as I once did many years ago” he continued cutting off whatever argument Buffy was about to start. “He is also now in possession of information that he cannot have acquired in any way shape or form in the here or now, that he has the information he does is more proof that what he is about to tell us is the truth and nothing but and I suggest heavily that you listen closely” he stated. 

Buffy and Willow both frowned not liking that their friend was behind all this mystery, both for their own reasons. Buffy didn’t like mystery’s and especially didn’t like secrets been kept from her, no matter that she did like keeping her own. Willow didn’t like the sudden change she sensed in her oldest friends personality or his connection to Cordelia which seemed stronger somehow than it had been the day before, she looked closely at the scar that Giles had mentioned and noted it looked old which really was odd.

“I’ll begin by giving Oz the reason I asked him to join us which will save a little time, as I mentioned he and Willow like one another and they will become a couple within a month or so and their relationship will only grow stronger” Xander stated. “And before you ask how I know that for certain it is because from one perspective I have already seen it happen, you see the scar on my face and the memories I now bare within my mind come from our future which from your perspectives have not happened yet” he added. 

“Oh give me a break” Buffy began but Xander quickly cut her off. 

“SHUT THE HELL UP BUFFY AND PAY ATTENTION” he spat making Buffy jerk back in shock at his tone. “I knew you wouldn’t take this seriously, so I’ll prove it by telling you something about yourself that you have never told us” he continued. 

“Oh please go ahead and wow me” Buffy said not believing for a second Xander knew anything and that this whole thing was about him trying to get their attention especially hers. 

“After your burnt down that gym back in L.A you told your parents about the existence of Vampires, they thought you were deluded or had suffered a reality break and thus had you committed to the St. Mary’s Psychiatric ward where you spent the better half of seven months before you managed to convince the Doctors you had been mistaken about your tale thus confirming the idea you had suffered a break from reality” Xander stated and almost smiled as Buffy paled faster than he thought possible. Willow spun to look at Buffy in shock whilst Giles removed his glasses and polished them having already known about this fact, it was in Buffy’s files that he had been handed by the Council once he had been confirmed as her Watcher and she had returned from running away from home. 

“H..how?” Buffy stuttered in absolute shock as that was one part of her history she’d had no intention to reveal. 

“I already told you memories of a future that for you haven’t happened, Janus’s power must have blended my future and past self together instead of creating some kind of paradox by having two of me active at the same time” Xander answered easily. “You do admit that fact two years from now” he told her. “Now are you willing to listen?” he asked. 

“Yes” Buffy responded knowing there was no way in hell Xander could have found out about her time in the nut house, he wasn’t tech savvy and nor did he have special contacts to get him the information. Hence no matter how much it galled her to admit his story had to have some merit to them, something told her this was not going to go well. 

“Thank you, sadly none of us have happy endings waiting for us and the bad times all start in a few months” Xander told them noticing the frowns his statement caused. “And before you bite my head off Buffy for what I am about to say don’t, you won’t like my response” he warned before he continued. “Our downfall starts with you and Angel, problem is Angel is not a normal guy he is a cursed Vampire and yes he has a soul but it is not fixed and it will break on your 17th birthday as I told Giles and Jenny” he told her.

“How, I thought my curse was permanent?” Angel inquired leaning forward. 

“It’s not, you see Angel from the moment you were cursed you’ve been watched by a member of the tribe that cursed you so as to ensure the curse holds but sadly the Elders never told them the key that would break the curse hence they are doomed to fail” Xander explained. “More than likely they never expected anyone to come along that could make you feel human again, who could actually fall in love with you thus never felt the need to tell them” he added. 

“And how can it be broken?” Angel asked now more interested than ever. 

“I’m afraid to say your curse is anchored by the pain and suffering you feel for Angelus’s crimes, the moment you forget that suffering for even a second and the curse will shatter as it did on Buffy’s 17th birthday when you and her make love for the first time” Xander answered and then waited for the inevitable outcry. 

“Xander get it into your head Buffy doesn’t want to go out with you and making up stories to try and get in-between her and Angel isn’t going to work” Willow shouted even as Buffy shot up to shout her own response but paused as Xander just leaned back and waited smiling a rather dark and twisted smile which also stopped Cordelia’s own rebuke at Willow thinking Xander still had feelings for the blond. 

“You think I’m jealous Willow really?” Xander asked slowly standing up and suddenly glaring at his old friend. “You know after knowing each other for so many years I would think you’d know me better, maybe last year I will admit to some jealously at been turned away over a Vampire but I accepted it and moved on and any leftover feelings I had for her died at the beginning of the year when she took me out into the middle of the bronze and used me as a dance pole to make Angel jealous” he growled out ignoring the wince Buffy had at been reminded of her rather cold act a few months before. “Since then I’ve begun a relationship with Cordelia which is not a lie or a cover to hide that I still want Buffy, no I can say with hindsight what me and Cordy have is very real no matter how much you might not like it” again ignoring the reactions of not only Buffy but Willow as well whilst Cordelia could not help but smile at his statement. “No to me Buffy is nothing but a friend, and whilst before I can admit to having nothing but my personal dislike for Vampires to go on I now know due to my memories of the future that her relationship with Angel will only end badly for us all” he stated. “Angel will be gone, Angelus will return and he will kill a dozen of our friends including Jenny who’s neck he will snap like a damn twig before leaving her body in Giles’s bed for him to find” he snarled now as the memories came forth and he missed how his comments affected Jenny and Giles whist Buffy and Angel both looked ill as he spoke whilst Willow backed away from her suddenly enraged friend. “Kendra will die as well because Buffy allows Angelus to play on her feelings for Angel which she cannot put aside, she will die because Buffy will makes a stupid call at the worst possible moment due to that failing” he pushed on. “At the end only the forceful push of a balance Demon named Whistler made her do her duty and stop him from ending the world” he finally managed to stop himself as stepped away from the pale faces staring at him. 

“Whistler will step in?” Angel inquired as he watched the others try and recover from Xander’s enraged rant. 

“Yeah he will, your mentor will be one of the deciding factors that will save the world that day” Xander answered distractedly. “I’m sorry for my outburst and rather carless way I said all that” he stated looking towards the very unnerved Giles and Jenny. 

“It’s okay Xander I knew you were hiding things such as details about my death now I know, plus it was obvious you would not take kindly to been accused of been jealous still not with the knowledge you now have in your head” Jenny assured him with a uneasy look. 

Buffy and Willow shared their own uneasy looks unused to seeing Xander so enraged which was the only way they could describe him, Buffy had seen certain sides of Xander   
over the year and a half she had known him that had chilled her but this enraged side truly unnerved her as it was much the opposite of his usual personality. Willow was completely taken aback by how Xander had yelled at her, she was even more shocked at the information that Jenny Calendar would die at the hands of Angel’s demon side. 

“Listen to me very closely you two I got over Buffy a long time ago even before I got my new memories, she is nothing but a friend now and even that is hard to remember with what I now know and the same goes for you too Willow” Xander stated darkly. “So just accept what I have said, it is the truth of the matter even if you wish it was not so” he added

“As I have said his story of having memories of the future must be true to have the knowledge he now has access too, plus he bears the mark of Janus as well” Gilles reminded them also uneasy by the rage he had seen in the young man’s eyes as it reminded him of his younger self and the dark path he had trod before been woken up by the callus death of a friend.

“I’m sorry Angel I don’t have anything better to tell you but truth is it would have been better had the tribe cursed you permantly, I think that would have been a fitter punishment than what they’ve done” Xander said turning to the uneasy looking Vampire who nodded. 

“I get what you’re saying and I agree, if Whistler stepped in then the shit really had hit the fan” Angel replied. “Clearly I fucked up by getting so close to Buffy, that wasn’t why I was sent here” he added much to Buffy’s dismay. “I was sent to help train and to fight beside her not fall in love with her, can you confirm what breaks the curse?” he asked turning to Jenny. 

“Yes I can contact the tribe and get the confirmation” Jenny responded ignoring the suspicious looks Buffy and Willow sent her, clearly Angel had worked out she was the watcher from the tribe somehow. 

“Will you let me know what they say, not that I disbelieve you but confirmation will add weight to what you’ve said and then I will know I will have to stay out of any relationships in the future” Angel said turning to Xander. 

“Angel he could be lying or wrong” Buffy argued unable to help herself.

“He ain’t wrong, I can hear his heartbeat Buffy and not once did it get erratic hence not once did he say a lie or give a half-truth” Angel countered not surprised she was not willing to just let this go. “Giles and Jenny believe him due to what he now knows and once Jenny has the confirmation of what breaks my curse that will be the nail in the coffin, I’m sorry Buffy but we can’t be together anymore it’s too dangerous I cannot allow Angelus to get lose” he stated his eyes boring into her own. “It would be even worse now if he did because he would know everything Xander has told us, he would know where to strike to destroy you and I will not let him have that chance no matter how much it hurts you” he added. 

Buffy felt years sting her eyes as Angel talked and she felt a conflicting mass of anger, sorrow and resentment filled her directed not only at Xander but Angel too which surprised her but the way he was giving them up without a fight just did not fit well with her. She forced the tears down, she would not shed them here, later when she got home she would but not now. Xander let out a relieved sigh as Angel came through and saw what needed to be done, he sat down on the table and relaxed somewhat and holding tightly to Cordelia’s hand when she reached over and took hold of his as clearly she had sensed how relieved he was by this turn of events. 

“So that’s it you just walk away?” she demanded to know. 

“I’ll still be here to help Buffy but I cannot with what I’ve learned be with you romantically I’m sorry, I would think after what you heard Angelus will do once he is lose would make you understand why” Angel responded. 

“There has to be a way we can still be together, make the curse permanent somehow” Buffy insisted. 

“There isn’t Buffy believe me this I know” Jenny cut in even as Angel shook his head at Buffy’s refusal to hear the truth. 

“How could you know?” Willow inquired before Buffy could demand the same thing. 

“I am the current guardian of the tribe sent to keep an eye on Angel, my true name is Janna Kalderash and before you try and accuse me of lying or betraying you I did no such thing as I never pledged any kind of loyalty to you and I was under no obligation to help you in my orders from the tribe when I was sent here but I did choose to help” Jenny answered and hoping to head off the same kind of reaction Xander had mentioned in the future he remembered. “I helped whenever you needed it no matter that it could have compromised my mission or got me killed, now back to what I was saying there is no way to modify the curse Angel is under and as far as I know there is no curse to seal his soul to his body permantly” she explained. 

“And even if there were you would have to lift his current curse to apply the new one” Giles added in hoping to make Buffy see there was no way to get what she wanted. “And the risk of that is unacceptable” he added. 

“Agreed” Angel said with a nod of his head. “I will not allow any such removal even on the off chance of been given my soul permantly” he stated much to Buffy’s anger. 

Buffy collapsed into her chair defeated knowing with Angel having made up his mind there was nothing she could say that would change it, their relationship was over and it was all Xander’s fault for telling them all this true or not. Willow patted her on the shoulder not really sure what she could say to help her friend, she didn’t even know what to say to Xander considering what he had said and proved already.

“It may be hard for you to believe Angel but I am sorry to be the bearer of such news, you never asked for this life you were turned by Darla during a drunken walk and the demon that infested you was a sick fuck” Xander said with a sigh gaining Angel’s attention. “When you were cursed your soul was stuck in a decayed body wondering the Earth with no way out, worse you were sentenced to pay for what the demon had done in your body and stuck with the memories of his actions and now worse you know you can never escape those memories as it is them and the pain they cause that keep your soul in charge” he continued shocking most of the group who all knew before this night   
Xander and Angel had barely tolerated one another and yet now he seemed to at least feel some sympathy for the souled vampire. “Your only escape will come when someone stakes you and releases your soul to finally rest where it belongs and that sucks, it ain’t fair to pay so much for one mistake in life and I really wish there was another option but today you proved why Whistler and the Powers chose to make you one of their champions” he added as he walked over and stuck his hand out shocking the others even more and even Angel seemed surprised. “You saw the truth of what I was saying and knew what you had to do even though it hurt to do it, you didn’t hesitate and you may have saved a dozen lives by and perhaps even saved Buffy’s soul in the long run” he finished as Angel finally got over his surprise and shock the offered hand. 

He had never liked the young man due to the fact he was the biggest opponent of his relationship with Buffy, he’d never really tried to see things from his point of view just his own. All he had cared about was the fact someone was willing to look past the fact he was a Vampire and see the man he used to be inside, but after listening to Xander just now he realised perhaps he should have seen his point of view. It was clear Xander’s future self-had let go of his resentment towards him and moved on, he saw clearly just how much he had not wanted the life he had since been turned by Darla so many years ago. He was correct that one mistake of letting her talk him down that dark alleyway when he was drunk had doomed him to this life, and the price was paying for what Angelus had done. But he had hoped some of what he had done had earned some respect and finally it seemed Xander did respect him for what he had just done and it felt good. Letting go of Xander’s hand he moved back to his seat and sat back down, wondering how he was going to deal been around Buffy now he had broken up with her. 

“What do you mean saved my soul?” Buffy demanded to know shaking off her sense of loss to focus on Xander’s odd choice of words, she didn’t like them and she dreaded what else he has to say about the future. 

“That is a topic for another time Buffy, I can’t go through all of this in one go and I think you need time to come to grips with what you already know” Xander answered with a sigh feeling tired but thankful Angel had seen what had to be done as he had in his memories when he left for L.A a year from now. 

“I have a question?” Cordelia finally spoke up having stayed quiet as she listened to everything what was said. 

She was having a hard time believing that Xander was from the future or was that had memories of the future in his head, she needed to know which it was. This at least explained why he had been acting so different since she had seen him today, it also explained the more certain sense of love in his voice and gaze when they had talked as well as the passion if the kiss he gave her. But she wanted to know exactly what had happened to Xander, so she knew where they stood. 

“Go ahead Cor, ask” Xander invited as he sat back and leaned back in his chair hoping she did not ask to tell her the hardest thing he had to explain which was her death, a nightmare he was trying desperately not to think about just like Mary Jane’s death. 

“How exactly do you know what you know, are you still the same Xander who was here before or has he been replaced by your future self?” Cordelia asked. “What exactly did this Janus do to make this possible?” she asked further. 

“I am still the same Xander who was here yesterday Cor because this is my younger body just with the scars and memories of a dozen battles it hasn’t fought yet added in as if my future self was absorbed into my younger self leaving only faint traces of his existence” Xander said doing his best to explain what he believed to have happened. “I can’t explain it any better than that, but clearly I have my younger self’s knowledge and feelings but also those of my future self as well” he added unsure if that was right or not but it felt right. “Only Janus really knows what he did or how this works but it is me Cordy” he assured her. 

“How come none of the rest of us came back with you?” Willow inquired not liking what she saw of the way Xander was acting or talking to Cordelia. 

Yes she had a crush on Oz and she now knew she would end up in a relationship with him as time passed but that did not take away her feelings for Xander, feelings that she had for years since getting into boys. They were not something so easily thrown away, although learning that Xander was dating Cordelia the bane of their existence for so long that they had in their childhood created a group with Jessie to stand against her had done a lot to make her start to move on but she wasn’t there yet. Xander flinched as she asked that question, how to tell them they were all dead in the future he had come back from. 

“Well go on tell us” Buffy demanded wondering at his silence. 

“Fine, on the day I lay dying and I made my deal with Janus in the ruins of Sunnydale every last one you was already long dead” Xander answered as bluntly as possible. “And I am sorry to say some of you die sooner rather than later, I will be the last to die” he stated as he watched the others faces pale as they absorbed what he had said. “Do you have any idea what it is like to suddenly wake up with such memories in your head of all your friends dying whilst somehow you stay alive, me the normal one” he spat. “I wanted to tear out my own eyes, you think you’ve seen true horror in your Slayer dreams or what we’ve already been through but you haven’t” he told Buffy. “I’ve seen hell, I’ve seen death, I’ve seen destruction and I’ve had my heart ripped in two as I’ve lost the only two women I ever loved to horrors you can’t even imagine” he growled before standing up and stalking out of the library as his memories threatened to overwhelm him. 

Cordelia quickly jumped up and followed him out instantly worried about his state of mind whilst trying not to think about the words ‘two women he had ever loved’ because she was not sure she wanted to know what happened to their relationship for there to be another he would love. She caught up to him outside leaning against the wall; she walked over to him and just waited for him to notice her which he did a few minutes later. 

“Sorry for running out but I couldn’t stay in there any longer the memories were becoming too much” he apologised with a tired sigh. 

“It’s okay Xander I get it this isn’t easy for you but you can’t keep snapping at the others like that” Cordelia responded carefully. “Buffy is likely to take your head off eventually especially with the fact you just ended her fairy tale romance with Angel, no matter by doing so you may have saved a dozen lives including hers but she will not forget or forgive that fact easily” she added. 

“I know Cor and you are right I have to try and keep control of my emotions” Xander agreed as he turned and faced her. “It is just not easy when just looking at them both brings up such feelings of anger, hate, loathing, regret, love, friendship and sorrow all rolled up into one” he admitted catching her by surprising with some of the emotions he had mentioned. 

“It’s worse than we know isn’t it?” she asked sensing there was more to just some of them dying, to have such emotions about those two there had to be more to the story of what happens in the future. 

Xander sort of half laughed half snorted at this before nodding his head. “I was not kidding with what I said just before I left, I have seen true hell come to life and what happens to some of you is” he stopped and seemed to just lose focus as he stared at her and she began to get a real feeling of dread in her gut at what her fate was. 

“It’s okay we don’t have to get into it now” Cordelia reassured him reaching out and placing what she hoped was a calming hand on his arm. “I think we’ve already gone through a heavy night conversation wise, come on lets head home we both need some rest because you can be sure the others will want to know more tomorrow” she coaxed him to start walking. 

Slowly they headed towards her home even though she knew her parents were currently not home, they were on one of her Father’s frequent business trips leaving her home alone as normal not that she minded as it at least kept her from hearing some of their arguments they had been having of late. She didn’t know what they were arguing about but it was clearly something that had caused a split between them, hopefully they would get over it in time. Suddenly she realised with her parents absent she could invite Xander to stay over as she needed to discuss this twist in their lives, how it would affect their relationship and their future and she also wanted to know about this second love of his life. She would have to dismiss Lupa their maid so she would not inform on them but she was certain she could get rid of her without her getting suspicious, smiling she   
decided this was the best thing to do. 

“Just wait here a minute and stay out of site of the main gate” she ordered once they reached the main pathway leading to the Chase mansion.

Xander gave her a confused look at first but then moved to comply and quickly moved into a small redoubt hidden by some tress close to the main gate, several minutes later Cordelia returned leading the maid Lupa out engrossed in a conversation about when to turn up tomorrow. Once Lupa got into her car that was parked just outside the gate and left Cordelia called for him to come out, he did so still unsure what Cordelia was up to but willing to just go with it. 

“So what’s going on?” he inquired finally as they entered the mansion. 

“You’re staying here tonight, we need to talk about a lot of things considering what’s happened, I want to do it in private away from the others” Cordelia answered honestly. “My parents are away on business and with Lupa gone it is just me and you, that gives us time to talk” she explained. 

“But how did you get Lupa to leave, I thought she stayed in the mansion when your parents are away?” Xander inquired with interest as this had never happened before in the past he remembered. 

“I told her I was having Harmony, Aura and the others round for a girls night due to an event we are planning at school” Cordelia answered simply as she led him to the kitchen after shutting and locking the door.

“Out of everyone in the group you deserve answers more than anyone” Xander responded with a sigh knowing he should have realised something like this was coming especially after he mentioned having a second love during his last rant to Buffy and Willow. “But a lot of what you learn is not going to be pleasant, and somethings still don’t make sense even to me” he told her as he sat down wearily on a stool whilst Cordelia set about making them something to drink. 

Whilst it was true her parents hired Lupa and a few others to do the majority of the upkeep of the manor, Cordelia had at least learned how to do something herself including making simple drinks and food and with Lupa’s help quite good at it even though her parents would not like that fact as to them preparing food and drink was a servants job. She however did not hold to that, she preferred to be as independent as possible, thus she learns as much as she could about taking care of herself. 

“What do you mean some of it doesn’t make sense to you, you somewhat lived it didn’t you?” Cordelia inquired as she placed a cup of coffee in front of him before joining him at the table with her own cup. 

“I remember it as if I had lived it Cor but I didn’t live it and some of it just doesn’t add up” Xander answered as best he could. “Events happened that as I focus on them I can’t see how they happened, how I end up doing certain things when I know the things that caused me to do it don’t exist within me” he tried to explain. “And the worst thing is I know you’re going to judge me on what happened in my memories even though you should know how I feel about certain people by now” he finished. 

Cordelia didn’t know how to interpret that statement and found she didn’t like how it sounded either, the confused look that flashed over his face showed he was serious about not understanding certain things in his new memories. She was just concerned what those certain things were, and just how they would affect their relationship.

“Tell me” she insisted. 

“Next year our relationship will have deepened heavily to the point where it was serious between us, then just before prom I will end up cheating on you with Willow and will do so for the next four months before you and Oz discover us kissing during a rescue after we are kidnapped by Spike” Xander finally admitted. “What bothers me and always has is I see Willow as a Sister not a lover and never have, then suddenly just as we are getting serious I suddenly start making out with her whenever we are alone and then to make it more confusing the moment we are caught the urge to make our with her is gone and Willow all but put the blame on me as do the rest of you” he explained feeling the pain of that time hit him once more even though in one sense it hadn’t happened yet. “That was the beginning for you, you see after running from what you saw you ended up impaled on a piece of rebar that could have killed you” he forced himself to continue not liking the silence from Cordelia as he talked. “We would eventually find some middle ground near the end but you never trusted me again after that night not that I blamed you, but it just doesn’t make sense how I could go from seeing Willow as a Sister to making out with her whenever I see her to then going back to having no feelings or urges like that after been caught” he spat before downing some of his coffee. 

Cordelia had to reign in the urge to leap up and start screaming as Xander talked about cheating on her, instead she focused on how he was talking and could honestly hear the confusion in his voice as he spoke. It was clear to her he really had no idea how he had ended making out with Willow especially when they were becoming so serious, it did sound off she thought. She knew boys could be rather fickle when it came to their desires with some going from girl to girl never caring how they felt, but Xander was not like that she knew this from knowing him for so long. She considered his relationship with Willow and saw not one sign he saw her anything more than a friend and perhaps a Sister, there was no admiring looks or intense stares not from him but from Willow there was plenty. She knew the redhead had been effectuated with Xander for a long time perhaps since hitting puberty, she could see Willow going for an affair even behind her future boyfriends back if only to sate the desire she’d had for him for so long. Still that did not bring the answer as to why he had cheated on her, but something was off before an idea came to her. 

“You said this was the start of it for me and before that you all but said what awaits me isn’t pleasant, so what if you were targeted by something to make you go after Willow”   
Cordelia suggested. “I mean even I know unless you are a complete jerk you do not just starting making out with a girl only to go cold turkey straight after, so what if you were made to go after Willow” she mused. 

Xander slowly lifted his eyes from where he had been staring at the wall to look at Cordelia as she spoke; he listened closely to her idea and suddenly felt like hitting himself. Of course why had he never seen such an possibility before? He demanded of himself, he felt like hitting himself in the head. How could he have gone years no having seen the possibility, especially with all that had happened to Cordelia that year it was now so blindly obvious this had to be the start of Skip and Jasmine’s plan to separate Cordelia from her allies and get her to leave Sunnydale. Still he needed conformation before he let go of the guilt he had carried around since the moment Cordelia had seen him kissing Willow back then, made even worse by been impaled by a rebar when she tried to run. 

“I never thought of that possibility to busy blaming myself or letting everyone else blame me and believing it” Xander finally said. “I’m a goddamn idiot” he cursed as he downed the rest of his coffee. “I need to contact Janus and find out if you are right because if you are thigs are more complicated than I thought” he told her. 

“How do you contact a god?” Cordelia asked in surprise. 

“There are rituals you can perform to get their attention” Xander answered absently as his mind continued to spin on what Cordelia had pointed out. 

Cordelia could see Xander was tired and beginning to lose focus and realised she would not get much more out of him tonight, letting out a sigh she finished her own coffee before grabbing his hand and leading him upstairs and showing him to one of the spare bedrooms and informing them they would speak again tomorrow. Xander nodded very surprised by Cordelia’s offer but not going to argue, walking into the bedroom he collapsed onto the very soft bed and prayed the next day would not be as hard as this one had been. Closing his eyes he tried to relax but his mind continued to go over not only the possibility of what Cordelia had pointed out, but the many problems that lay ahead of him. So far Buffy and Willow were listening to him but that did not mean they would continue to do so, Buffy had already lost Angel due to his new knowledge and he dreaded to think what she would do she heard how much worse things would get. Finally slowly he began to drift off to sleep, in her own bedroom Cordelia climbed into her own bed wondering just what else Xander knew about her future and just what he was hiding about her fate before she too began to drift off into a heavy sleep.


	3. chapter 3

+FB+

(Summers Residence)

Buffy sat staring out of the window at the darkened sky her mind a terrible jumble as it had been since leaving the library, Giles had insisted she not patrol and head straight home which she had done so. It seemed her Watcher knew she would not be at her best after what had happened, Angel had dumped her without even putting up even a token struggle due to the information Xander had revealed. Information she was still having difficulty in believing came from the future, then she remembered he also knew about her time in a psyche ward something she had never intended him, Willow or any of her friends from learning and yet he knew. She remained angry not only at Xander but Angel and Giles as well, it was mostly directed at Xander for been the cause of Angel leaving her as well as bringing up something she really wanted to stay forgotten. Her time in the psyche ward had not been pleasant, in fact apart from been temporarily killed by the Master it was the worst memory she had before her mind turned once more back to Xander. Giles and Miss Calendar insisted he had told them things he could know no other way although Giles refused to reveal just what that was in his case; Miss Calendar had admitted she was a Romany sent to keep an eye on Angel by the very tribe that had cursed him the first place. 

Seen as Angel had already revealed this she saw no reason to keep the fact hidden, honestly she had no idea how to feel about the revelation that one of the few teachers she liked and trusted was actually a spy sent to keep an eye on her boyfriend or ex-boyfriend she had to remind herself. She had grown to trust Jenny Calendar as she helped them fight the numerous foes that cropped up, her magical aide and knowledge complimented Giles’s so well and now well now she had to wonder whether she did that just so as to keep close to the group. Granted Miss Calendar had already stated she did it because she wanted to help as it was the right thing to do not because she was ordered to, in fact according to her she had never been ordered to help either just watch Angel. But she was conflicted on whether to believe her, letting out a sigh she walked away from the window to her bed and climbed in hoping sleep would find her quickly as she dreaded what else Xander would reveal to them tomorrow.

+FB+

(Rosenberg Residence)

Willow let out an angry sigh as she found sleep very elusive as she tossed and turned in bed, having come home early due to Giles telling Buffy not to patrol she had eagerly returned home so as to regain some semblance of calm after Xander let her crush on Oz be known not only to Buffy and the others but Oz himself much to her embarrassment. She had been working up the courage to actually ask Oz out, now she barely had the nerve to look him in the eyes. Oz had tried to talk to her once the meeting broke up after Xander had left the library but she’d only vaguely responded before leaving with Buffy, hopefully tomorrow she’d find some nerve to talk to him and ensure him she was interested before he got the impression she’d rather run from him. 

She was also still angry with the way Xander had raged at her when she had accused him of still been jealous of Angel’s relationship with Buffy, she had never seen him so angry with her before and it unnerved her. Then there was the way he had spoken about knowing him better, it was sarcastic and set her teeth on edge and the look in his eyes had been hard as steel as he glared at her. That was not her friend, perhaps though she should not have accused him of been jealous still but she could not help it as his accusation seemed crazy until he proved he knew things he shouldn’t like Buffy’s time in a nut house. Hearing that had been shocking, it was clear by the look in Buffy’s eyes she’d never intended for that to come out which hurt that she didn’t trust her with that knowledge. How much more did he know, long buried secrets or acts still to come. She had never considered time travel a feasible possibility, yet she was now facing proof it could be achieved and it troubled her what Xander was going to do with the knowledge he had. Finally she began to feel her tiredness catch up to her, closing her eyes she let out a yawn and finally feel asleep. 

+FB+

(Chase Mansion)

Xander let out a sharp cry as he shot up in bed soaking in sweat from the nightmare he had just been having, the images of seeing Mary Jane’s dead body after learning she had been kidnapped and sacrificed by Willow. Watching almost as if he was outside his body as he hunted his once friend down killing whoever got in his way, he even tortured two people to learn where she was hiding. Then he was forced to watch as he killed his one-time best friend and it was not a quick affair, the man his future self-had become in that moment scared him as he did not recognise his own features as he literally strangled the life out of Willow. But that was not all he had seen there was also the memory of learning Cordelia had died months before he had even learned there was a problem, he watched as he listened as Angel had explained the horrible events that had led to her demise and none of it had been pleasant. He recalled seeing the rage at learning how Angel and the others had not seen what was happening to her, recalled slugging the souled Vampire who had just stood there and let him rage believing he deserved it for failing to see his friend needed help. 

Taking in deep gulps of air as he tried to calm himself down he almost didn’t hear the door to his room open or Cordelia come running in dressed in a lovely looking silk nightgown, she dropped onto the bed beside him. 

“Are you okay?” she inquired worried as she took in his state. 

“Nightmares or memories that feel like nightmares” Xander responded as he finally felt his breathing normalise. 

“It’s worse than we know isn’t it?” Cordelia asked gently absently rubbing a hand up and down his back. 

“It is Cor so much more worse than you can think, and I doubt this will be the last time I wake from his memories” Xander admitted with a shake of his head. “My memories, it’s just what I just saw myself do scares me that I have that kind of hatred in me if pushed far enough” he went on correcting himself as he finally turned to look at her and only absently noted how she was dressed due to the seriousness of the topic. 

“What” Cordelia began to ask before she stopped and considered whether she should ask what he had seen to make him cry out so loud?

Xander stared at her for a few seconds knowing exactly what she had been going to ask, but he didn’t know if he could actually admit what his future self would do, he had told Giles and Jenny but they were adults and knew enough about the world they lived in to know that sometimes truly terrible things happened. That people even those you had known for years could change, become corrupt and commit crimes that before you would have laughed at the idea of them doing them. Cordelia, Buffy, Oz and even Willow herself were still learning just how easy things could turn against them, did he have the right to shatter whatever hope they had for the future.

“What did I see to make me wake crying out in horror?” he asked to which Cordelia slowly nodded. “You can’t tell any of the others this except Giles and Jenny who already know, do you understand?” he asked. “I don’t know myself if I will tell them their fates or just try and steer them away from the path that led them to those fates so you can’t tell them as it might destroy them” he insisted. 

“I understand Xander I do” Cordelia assured him hearing the utter belief in what he was saying in his tone. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to” she added. 

“You heard me mention having another love in the future and that she died, what you don’t know is how she died” Xander told her after taking a deep breath knowing he was taking a big risk here but he felt he could trust Cordelia to keep what he said to herself. “Willow is going to go down a very dark path Cor due to misusing magic, hell her first spell was a dark magic curse meant to re-ensoul Angelus when he was about to end the world” he continued. “You’ll tell me later it looked like she was failing until she was possessed by some kind of force that helped her complete the curse, whatever that force was it opened her up to forces she could not control and yet she would insist on   
learning more and more magic as time went on no matter that half of what she learnt she was not ready for” he informed her noting how intently Cordelia was listening to him. 

“Magic is a discipline Cor not something you can just read about and do like you do for cooking, you have to be strong in spirit and mind and have the core to handle the energies you are tapping into” he explained. “Willow might be smart but she is not a natural born witch just a practitioner hence she never had the core or the spirit to handle the magic she was learning especially the more powerful spells, she will fall into what Giles sums up as an addiction to magic and it was bad even before I left Sunnydale but afterwards it will get worse after I left” he paused as he hesitated to go on. 

Cordelia was frowning as she tried to understand where this was leading, because her first thought that somehow Willow was responsible for the death of Xander’s second love just could not be right it was impossible she thought. 

“Sometime after I left her lover who was also a witch will be killed murdered by someone we knew in school although I won’t get into whom right now, Willow will go insane with grief and sucking up huge chunks of magic she will hunt him down and using magic skin him before killing him” Xander started again hoping by sharing what he knew with Cordelia it would somehow quiet his memories so he could sleep. “She will almost end the world that year before been talked down by Dawn, from there she just kept getting worse until finally she was just like Catherine Madison but worse much worse” he told her deciding to skip over what he knew of Willow’s actions during their battle against the first for now. “A few years later she will decide to try and become the most powerful witch in the world using a ritual that required five people to be sacrificed, one of those she took was Mary Jane the woman I had grown to love” he paused again as he battled the memories of that time “The ritual was not painless, when I found her body it was locked into an expression of true suffering” he stopped and stood up pacing slightly as he recalled the look of loss and rage he had worn from that point on. 

“Cor I will hunt Willow down for the next three months I will kill and even torture people to find her and when I do I will ensure she suffers before I literally strangle the life out of her with my own hands” he finally admitted watching the shock over what he was saying strike her. “Can you possibly understand the pain of seeing that of knowing I will kill someone who I grew up with was best friends with am best friends with right now?” he asked as he watched Cordelia struggle to understand what he had told her. “Every time I looked at Willow today I saw the face of the woman she will become who murdered Mary Jane, I want to tear out my own eyes to stop seeing it” he broke down collapsing back onto the bed. 

Cordelia could not understand how the shy meek girl she had known since childhood could become a cold blooded killer, someone capable of trying to end the world like the Master had done. It boggled the mind and yet she could see and hear that Xander was not joking, just looking into his confused haunted eyes told her that. She hated hearing the utter raw agony of what he knew torturing him, moving closer she wrapped her arms around him uncaring that she was only in her nightgown. She was relieved he did not fight her and just let his head drop onto her shoulder, god what kind of nightmare future awaited them she asked herself. She tried not to think about how Xander had admitted his future self had tortured and killed whilst hunting Willow down, it was not something she wanted to contemplate right now.

“It wasn’t just that I saw that made me wake in such alarm, I also recalled learning of your own death only three years after I left Sunnydale and five since you had gone to L.A” Xander continued speaking feeling drained but somewhat better from having shared the horror of what was now in his head. “You ended up aiding Angel in his search for redemption, but what happened to you went completely by him he failed to see what was happening and you died horribly used and forgotten by those who are supposed to be fighting the darkness” he explained his breath hitching slightly as he recalled the moment Angel told him Cordelia was dead and then went on to explain how it made him sick just thinking about it. “It was a set up all of it, Angel let me rage at him for several minutes and even let me slug him feeling he had failed you and he had but it was not all on him as you had all been manipulated and perhaps if you are right for longer than any of us knew” he went silent as he finished. 

Cordelia continued to hold Xander running one hand absently through his hair as she listened to him talk, she was relieved to hear the same agony in his voice as he spoke of her own death that she had heard when he had explained the death of his second love. It meant that her demise had meant just as much as this Mary Jane’s had, what confused her was why her future self had ended up helping Angel of all people. Oh she didn’t mind him that much but he was a vampire, granted she had once thought he was hot but that was before she knew he was actually a walking corpse. Whilst she didn’t have the same aversion to him that Xander did that did not mean he was someone she fully trusted, and what she had learnt about his curse not been permanent made whatever trust she did have for him lessen somewhat. Slowly she realized Xander had fallen asleep against her obviously completely drained which hopefully would help him sleep through the rest of the night, carefully she lowered him onto the bed and slipped the blankets over him and headed for the door before pausing as she looked back at him. 

She studied his profile as he slept and found except for the scar that now marred his left eye he looked completely the same as he had yesterday, seized by a sudden urge she walked back to the bed and climbed in beside him and curled up against his side and placed her head against his chest listening contently to his steady heartbeat. This was a first for her as she had never felt comfortable with any of her previous boyfriends to even attempt to sleep next to them, she knew they would all try and take advantage of the situation to try and bed her but next to Xander she felt nothing but trust and her own growing sense of love towards him. Closing her eyes she slowly began to drift off to sleep wondering how Xander would deal with Buffy and Willow especially tomorrow, how would he warn them of what could happen without admitting the truth before sleep finally claimed her? 

+FB+

(Giles Residence)  
Giles had seen much in his life but what he had witnessed just a few hours ago had to be the most surprising, somehow in the future Xander had not only earned Lord Janus’s favour but also what had to be his faith for him to be sent backwards in time to change history and prevent the end of the world. Oh he did not doubt there was more to the deal than Xander was saying right now as he knew Janus well having once been a follower who like Xander had earned his favour, but that was before he became a Watcher and gave up his more youthful beliefs. The mark he had once born had faded until it was like he’d never had it; he wished the same could have happened to the mark of Eyghon. He gave Jenny a small smile as she sat across from him on his small couch, she had come home with him so they could talk about what had happened to Xander but more importantly the truth of her identity and why she had concealed it from him.

He had been growing close to Jenny since meeting her which was not something he had been expecting when he had come to Sunnydale, but he was not complaining as Jenny was not only a very beautiful woman but intelligent and caring both things that drew him in. He did understand been under orders, but still considering their burgeoning relationship he believed he deserved the truth. Then he realised he was been somewhat selfish, he had not disclosed his past to Jenny and that had almost gotten her killed when she was possessed by the returned Eyghon and had only been spared thanks to Angel. No if they were going to have a meaningful relationship they would have to be more truthful with one another, smiling he accepted the small glass of whiskey she handed him. 

Jenny watched Rupert closely easily seeing he was thinking not only of what had happened today but how to start the conversation they would have to have if they had any chance of a future together. Both had kept secrets from one another but no matter what fine reasons they had for keeping their secrets it was only hurting their relationship, now Xander had broken any reason for holding back and she hoped Rupert would be willing to share any other secrets he was holding back now she could confess the full truth to him. Taking a small gulp from her whiskey she relaxed into the comfy couch and waited for him to speak, she felt no need to rush him he would speak up when he was ready. Privately she was worried how her clan would take the news that her cover had been blown and Angel knew he was been watched and had been since been cursed, granted there had been nothing she could have done to prevent the knowledge coming out but whether they would accept that or not was another thing entirely. 

“We have a lot to talk about don’t we?” Giles finally asked as he downed his own glass of whiskey. 

“Yes Rupert we do but we don’t have to get into it right now, we’re both tired but we can at least admit we both have secrets we need to tell if we are to move forward with our relationship” Jenny responded lightly finishing off her own drink. 

Giles nodded his head. “Yes we do and I do want our relationship to go on Jenny” he admitted making Jenny smile.

“So do I Rupert, so I suggest we sit down at the weekend and start coming clean with each other” she offered. 

“Agreed” he accepted before letting out a long yawn indicating he was indeed tired. “If you will agree to stay the night I’ll give you the bed and sleep on the sofa, I do not like the idea of you going home now it is dark” he added as she looked at him closely before smiling again. 

“I accept your offer as I doubt I’ll be much good behind the wheel as I can barely keep my eyes open” Jenny replied as she too let out a yawn. 

Giles got up and once she was standing to he led her upstairs to his bedroom which she noted was tidy and so very much him, it had too cabinets full of books and a table with multiple manuscripts and texts on it plus writing equipment. He removed his own bedding and took it downstairs before returning and quickly remaking the bed with some clean sheets and blankets for her, bidding her a good night he left the room and closed the door before heading back downstairs. As he stripped down to his boxers and a simple t-shirt he set the bedding onto the couch before settling in for the night after turning off the lights, however he found sleep somewhat elusive as he imagined Jenny upstairs in his bed in whatever night clothes she had on.

+FB+

(Chase Mansion)

Cordelia awoke slowly as the morning rays of light washed over her through the curtains of the room, it only took her a few seconds to remember she was not in her own room and was instead in one of the spares in a bed right next to her boyfriend Xander Harris. Glancing to her left she found she was curled up right up against him having clearly fallen asleep like that, Xander’s left hand was wrapped around her waist as he continued to slumber. Smiling at seeing him so relaxed when compared to how upset he had been the night before after his nightmare, letting out a slight yawn she glanced at the clock to note it was almost time to get up and get ready for school not that she felt much desire to move from the comfortable position she was in. Far more comfortable than she had ever been she had to admit, still it was time to get ready for the day. 

She had only moved slightly when Xander suddenly shot up in bed looking alert and deadly until he noted where he was and with whom and quickly relaxed, she wondered if in the future he’d had to train himself to wake so quickly. His eyes finally took in not only the fact she was so close to him but how his hand was wrapped around her waist and finally the silk nightgown she was in, she watched his eyes darken before clearly and he removed his hand trying to cloak the desire she could detect in his eyes. That desire made a shiver of pleasure run through her, the fact he had pulled away from her instead of trying to come onto her showed the difference between him and her previous boyfriends. 

“Good morning, sorry about the hand” Xander finally said breaking the silence as he ran a hand through his hair.   
Smirking she responded. “It’s okay it didn’t wonder anywhere dangerous, how are you feeling?” she inquired. 

“Better than last night, thanks for staying with me you’re presence seemed to help me sleep” Xander admitted with a small smile. 

“You’re welcome; you make a great pillow by the way” Cordelia responded before leaning over and giving him a small kiss before getting up and heading for the door. “Come on we need to get ready for the day, you can use the shower in the hall whilst I use my own” she told him before vanishing trying not to imagine Xander naked in the shower. 

Xander watched her go still trying to wrap his mind around the fact he had slept next to Cordelia all night, which was something that had not happened in the memories he now had in his head. Smiling he got up and headed for the shower she had mentioned, as he washed himself he wondered how to go about keeping Willow and Buffy from walking down the dark paths they had in the future? Telling them of their fates had to be out of the question, any hope they had would be destroyed or they may just give up and start been reckless. No he had to be more suitable than he had originally intended, try and guide them of those paths as best he could and only admit the truth if all else fails.   
Once he was done he dried off and dressed himself, granted he had no change of clothes but he wouldn’t be the only kid in the school who did not change clothes every day like some of the more popular kids tended to do. Getting out he headed downstairs straight for the kitchen, he quickly set about making him and Cordelia something to eat and drink before they headed out. He needed to get to Giles before the school fully opened, he had to summon Janus and get answers and not only about Cordelia’s possible answer to how he ended up cheating on her in the future. He needed to know about Dawn, where was she or even if she had been returned to her original form. Then there was Tara, he remembered how she had suffered under the yoke of her family through use of lies about her been a demon. And finally could he do something about Faith before she was called as a Slayer, could he somehow ensure she never went down the path she had done before she had redeemed herself. 

Cordelia soon joined him a wonderfully tight fitting blue dress that seemed painted onto her body; it took all of his will not to stare which she seemed to easily pick up on. Sitting at the table they ate mostly in silence accept for Xander telling her he wanted to see Giles before school started, when she asked why he explained about summoning Janus. She shifted slightly wondering again how it was possible to summon an actual god, before getting involved with Xander and his group she had always believed things like the old gods were nothing but myths or legends now she knew otherwise. Once they were finished with breakfast they headed out making sure to grab their bags as they went, she wondered just what answers Janus would give them if any at all but she knew she wanted to know more than anything if her idea over why Xander would cheat on her in the future was correct.

+FB+

(Sunnydale High)

Giles yawned as he set to work ensuring all of his research books were safely in the book cage so they would not be taken by any of the students by accident, even as he worked his mind was absently focused on the next day where he and Jenny would sit down and finally discuss everything that lay between them especially the secrets they had kept from one another. Focusing his mind back onto his task he finished moving his research books and then headed for his office, he was expecting Xander to show up early once more so they could talk some more in private before Buffy and the others showed up. He was concerned about the youth’s mental state having so much dark knowledge of the future inside his head, it was clear it had left an impact on his psyche. The rage he had witnessed when Willow had accused him of been jealous had been shocking as he had never believed the young man could have such anger inside him, Xander had always struck him as light hearted a joker but clearly that was not always the case. Sitting down he poured himself a cup of tea and sat back, he wished Jenny was here with him but she’d had to go to her own classroom to get ready for the day. The question was just what did the day have in store for them all, what other revelations was Xander going to explain to them.


	4. chapter 4

+FB+

 

(Sunnydale)

Buffy met up with Willow as she was walking towards the school and she noted that her redheaded friend also most of had a bad night considering the look of her, clearly the change in Xander as well as the knowledge he now had access to troubled her just as much as it did herself. She was still trying to come to grips with the fact Angel had broken up with her last night due to what Xander had told them, also she was trying to figure out where the rage Xander had displayed had come from. It could not have been just born out of been called jealous by Willow, so the question that had bugged her and kept her from having a full night’s sleep was where had it come from what else did he know about their futures had caused that rage? 

Willow smiled as she greeted Buffy but knew from the semi sad smile Buffy gave her the blond was not feeling all that happy, considering she had lost her boyfriend last night it was not surprising to her. She had tried to come up with some arguments to off put what Xander had told them but failed to find anything that would convince Angel to go back to Buffy, Miss Calendar’s confirmation of what Xander had said had nixed any counter argument she could have made which frustrated her. She was still feeling miffed at the way Xander had talked to her during the meeting, she hoped he had calmed down by now and she could question him about what else he knew about their futures as there was so much she wanted to know. 

+FB+

(Sunnydale High)

Giles looked up as the doors to the library opened and was unsurprised to see Xander enter early once more just as he had done so the day before, what surprised him was that Cordelia was with him. He remembered her going after Xander when he stormed out of the meeting, but he had not expected them to return still in one another’s company. Perhaps what had happened to Xander had shaken up their relationship brought them closer as it seemed to be about to do for him and Jenny, putting the book he had been reading down he waited for them to join him at the table.

“Giles I need to summon Janus” Xander told him as soon as he sat down. “I need answers to some questions before I say anything else about the future especially to Buffy and Willow” he explained at the older man’s look. 

“Summoning Janus is not a simple matter Xander as I am sure you are well aware considering you have future interactions with him, it can also be dangerous” Giles warned him confident his young friend was aware of everything he had just said. 

“Dangerous, how?” Cordelia asked before Xander could respond. 

“Beings of such power call them what you will do not like to be summoned by mortals like us without purpose and mostly only by those who believe and follow them” Giles explained to the brunette who sat close to Xander somewhat confirming his theory that what had happened was bringing the two closer together. “In this day and age very few follow and believe in the Gods of old who still very much exist as I think you found out during Halloween, without Janus’s consent and power Ethan’s spell would have no effect on any of the people involved in it” he continued. “I do not know the full scope of Xander’s connection to Janus in the future but what I do gather is that he is not a follower correct?” he paused with a question posed at Xander himself. 

“My future self was not a follower like you and your friends were Giles but he was a believer somewhat of Janus, they worked together off and on over the years and he never understood why Janus helped him so much or took an interest in him in the first place” Xander answered trying to explain the complex relationship he had with the being called Janus. “I know summoning him is dangerous Giles but I need answers to some serious questions before we can go forward, I have to hope he will answer” he told him. 

“Very well Xander I will aide you in the summoning but it will have to wait until school is finished, we do not have enough time or privacy to do it now” Giles agreed whilst removing his glasses and polishing them with a cloth he always kept close by. 

“Thanks Giles” Xander said with a respectful nod knowing it was probably best they do wait until the school day was done as everyone would be gone, even Snyder left early leaving only the caretaker to clean up and whatever teacher was on late to lock up after they left. 

Cordelia didn’t exactly like hearing that summoning Janus could be dangerous but she knew Xander would not back down from doing it as he desperately wanted the answers to the questions he had, and sadly she too wanted the answer to the one question that mattered in her mind and that was if something or someone was behind Xander cheating on her in the future. That was an answer that would decide so much, she could not imagine the pain her future self must have felt when she found out Xander had cheated on her, but considering how she felt about him now she guessed it had been one of the most painful moments of her life. She also felt there was still something about that moment he hadn’t told her, but she could wait until he had his answers. She turned as the doors opened to admit Buffy, Willow and Oz; she noted Buffy and Willow still did not look very happy after what had happened last night. Whilst she could understand Buffy still be somewhat angry, Willow was another question. 

Looking at the redhead now after what Xander had told her about what the redhead would do in future it was hard to see how she could become so evil, so lost as to murder people for power as well as almost end the world. Could such a future be averted, she had seen a few films with Xander about time travel and trying to change the future and it was never as simple as it seemed to be. She hoped and prayed that the things Xander had seen could be changed, that their fate was not locked. 

“I hope you have calmed down since last night” Buffy said as she sat down glancing at Xander and the closeness he was displaying with Cordelia making her feel the loss of Angel even more. 

“Somewhat, but before you say anything about my temper don’t” Xander responded doing his best not to let his future memories interfere with his relationships with Buffy and Willow now. “You have no idea what this is like for me to suddenly have memories of a future so horrible you can’t imagine it, how it fucks with your emotions and colours ever perception you have not only about the future but the people you know” he told her. 

“Meaning what, we are still friends in the future aren’t we?” Willow demanded to know confused by his words.   
Xander stood up and paced wondering how the hell to answer that question, by the time he had left Sunnydale his friendships with Buffy and Willow were all but non-existent. 

They had tried multiple times to him to quit been a part of the group but he’d always resisted, but Buffy’s death whilst fighting Glory had made him reconsider the future and he   
had left to find a new purpose. He had not returned until forced to do so and almost died there had it not been for Janus, but how to explain that to the Buffy and Willow of the here and now who didn’t know just how badly things would become between them all. 

“That’s not the point Willow, what I am saying is the reason I blew up so quickly yesterday is because my emotions have been badly effected by what my future self experienced” Xander finally replied doing his best to avoid the question she had asked in the first place. 

“So what that means we should just let you take it out on us all the time” Buffy shot back frowning catching Xander’s aversion of Willow’s question making her wonder what he was hiding about their future as friends. 

“No Buffy but what I am asking is that you try and understand why I blew up in the first place” Xander told her with a sigh. “Telling you about what happens in the future is not easy, it takes a toll on me emotionally just as much as it does on you hearing it” he added. “You think I enjoyed breaking you and Angel up, you think I enjoyed watching you in pain well I bloody well didn’t” he almost growled at her. “Yes I don’t think you two should have been together in the first place because he is a walking corpse and should be dead, but that does not mean I enjoyed been right because it hurt you” he finished. 

“That doesn’t help Xander my relationship is still dead because of what you told Angel” Buffy countered not willing to just forgive Xander for been the reason her first real relationship had been destroyed. “How do we know anything you tell is the truth?” she demanded to know finally asking the one question she had been asking herself since Xander had stormed out yesterday. 

“You think I would lie?” Xander demanded right back with a glare.

“Well it’s not like we can confirm anything you say” Willow pointed out easily picking up Buffy’s reasoning. “I mean granted you know things about us you didn’t know before but   
that don’t mean everything you say about what will happen is true” she argued. 

“Unbelievable” Xander spat with a shake of his head. “You know I would have at least expected some trust from you after everything we’ve been through, and you Willow we’ve known each other since we were four” he growled in anger. “When have I ever lied you to in all that time, when did I give you reason to believe I would” he added whilst Oz and Giles watched unsure whether to interfere or not whilst Cordelia had to do everything she could not to get involved. 

“You did keep your relationship with Cordelia a secret” Willow couldn’t help but point out wincing because she knew he had not exactly lied about been with Cordelia just not told her about it until she had walked in on them making out in the stacks one day. 

“Yes that is called keeping information to yourself not lying as you well know, had I actually told you I was not in a relationship with Cordy then I would be lying” Xander stated glaring at the redhead who shrunk back somewhat. 

“He wasn’t required to tell you about seeing me Willow” Cordelia finally said cutting in before Xander lost his temper again. 

“No he wasn’t” Giles also cut in wanting to head off an argument especially one before school even started. “I think after everything we have been through together Buffy, Xander has earned your trust” he stated. “Had he not been for him you would be dead after the Master drained and drowned you, he defied prophecy to aide you thus I think you can trust whatever he says is on the level as you would say” he added hoping the reminder of how it was due to Xander’s efforts she was still alive. 

Buffy winced as she had a flash of memory of the Master’s fangs piercing her neck before she fell weakly into a pool of water, the next minute she was waking up to see Xander and Angel leaning over her. The reminder was painful as she recalled she had only really acknowledged Angel’s presence, it was only after Angel had set her straight that she had even thanked him for coming after her. Rubbing her eyes she had concede Giles had a point, Xander had always been there for her and aided in whatever madness they had faced from the beginning. She had not reason to suspect he would lie to them, the only reason she was been so distrusting towards him was her own anger and sense of loss and he didn’t deserve it if he was right about what her relationship with Angel could ignite. Willow too went quiet even though she directed what she hoped was a harsh glare at Cordelia who just glared back at her, she knew she really had no say about who he dated but she just could not understand how he could date Cordelia after the hell the evil witch had done to them when they were young. 

“You’re right Giles” Buffy finally admitted with a sigh. “He’s earned my trust and I should take it on faith that he would not lie about anything he tells us” she added.   
“Indeed so Buffy” Giles agreed with a nod as the bell went signally the beginning of the day and the group broke up, Xander was at least calmed by the fact Buffy had admitted he had earned her trust. 

He just hoped she remembered that fact as time passed, it was hard enough to see her and Willow as they were now and not the monsters they had become in the future. Keeping his temper under control was going to be hard he realised, hopefully neither of his friends would push him from this point forward. 

+FB+

(Town Hall)

Mayor Wilkins sat calmly behind his desk reading a heavy set book detailing many rituals he would need before he began the road to his ascension next year, it had taken so long to get so close to the time when he would finally gain the ultimate power he had long sought. Everything was going according to plan so far, his old enemy the so called Master had been destroyed by the current Slayer Buffy Summers with a little help from her friends. Currently they were actively fighting the new arrivals William the Bloody and Drusilla the seer, which would keep them distracted and not looking elsewhere for threats. He did not need those kids looking into his business, granted he knew the closer he got to ascending the more likely they would stumble onto what he was doing but he was already coming up with plans for that eventuality. However he wanted to do nothing that would draw their attention early, putting the book down he leaned back in his chair and contemplated just how wonderful it would be when he finally ascended. The sudden presence of one of his many warlocks in his office made him sit up and glare at him, they were not supposed to show up during the daylight hours where the people who worked for him and had no clue about the truth could see them by accident. 

“You better have a good reason for showing yourself outside our scheduled meeting times” he warned with a dark smile. 

“Forgive me but I have important information you would want to hear” the Warlock responded knowing his employer had a rather nasty temper usually hidden behind his jovial attitude. 

“It better be important Rogan” Wilkins warned before indicating he could speak his peace. 

“As you know you have employed not only myself but three other Warlocks plus four Seers” Rogan began knowing he best speak quickly. “Since last night we’ve all felt something is off in the flow of magic, then one of the Seers saw a glimpse of something indicating someone or something has changed how things are supposed to be” he informed his boss. “We don’t know how or even who, just that something has changed” he finished. 

Wilkins leaned back in his chair not liking this piece of news in the least, in order for things to be changed from how they are supposed to be run then clearly someone or something was messing with time and that was dangerous. Worse it could put his own plans in jeopardy, finding whatever was in the centre of this change was not going to be easy depending on who it was. The fact only one of his Seers had only gotten a glimpse of something been wrong was disturbing; it meant some major magic was at work shielding whatever was causing this change. 

“Can you and the others pool your power to search out whatever is behind this change?” he demanded to know his usual jovial tone completely absent.

“We might get more than a glimpse but I doubt it will breech whatever is shielding them or it” Rogan answered after considering the question. 

“Then it seems the only way is to request the aide of one of my more powerful friends” Wilkins decided. “I am sure one of them can breech whatever magic is shielding this conduit of change” he decided. “Leave, I will think on the matter” he ordered. “Do not come back at this time again unless you find something I can use to locate this problem” he added with a dark look before a knock on the door made him quickly regain his usual demeanour of joviality. “Come in” he said as Rogan vanished. 

+FB+

(Abandoned Warehouse)

William the Bloody better known by his nickname Spike grumbled as his limped up and down his current lair lamenting his bad luck so far in killing the Slayer, his latest ploy had at least cured Drusilla but it had not ended up with the Slayer dead worse it had revealed there was somehow a second Slayer active. He didn’t know how it was possible for there to be two Slayer’s alive at the same time but he knew it was bad news for Vampires everywhere, another bit of fallout was his current injuries including the limp he had been left with in his right leg. The badly mangled leg had left him slow and unsteady moving around, he was incapable of running and was all but reliant on help capturing his prey so he could feed and it was so very gaoling. Casting his mind back to the matter of there been two Slayers he wonder where she was station, she had not remained on the Hellmouth once they had rescued his grandsire now known as Angel. A sudden cry made him limp as fast as he could to the room where Drusilla slept to find her staring absently into the air, she looked dazed and fearful which was not something he would expect from her especially now she was fully healed. Limping over he slowly sat down next to her on the bed, he had to ignore the sharp pain that ran up his leg as he sat. 

“What’s wrong pet?” he asked as he reached over and grasped her hand. 

“The stars sings warnings that a shadow has come to change everything we do” Drusilla all but rambled. “Our deaths will be swift if we do not see the signs and bring this shadow down quickly” she added visibly shaking. “He will be our doom if we let him” she whispered before sagging against him. 

“Who is this shadow you’re talking about?” Spike questioned trying to get answers but he knew it was never easy to interpret what Drusilla saw when she had her visions and sometimes it was impossible. 

“Darkness clouds his face but he is here now and every day he lives more changes and thus the danger to us increases” Drusilla answered before she seemed to pass out. 

Spike let out a sigh as he gently lowered his lover to the bed and then pushed himself back up and began to pace once more ignoring the pain in his leg and lower chest, having another enemy right now beside the Slayer was not welcoming news especially as he did not know who this enemy was. However he could not ignore Drusilla’s warnings, which meant he’d have to keep a close out for these signs she mentioned. 

+FB+

(Sunnydale High)

Xander re-entered the library glad the day was over, both Buffy and Willow had tried prying for more information on what was waiting for them down the line but he had told them the same thing. Until he got some answers he would not be telling them anything else, that it would be best to absorb what he had already told them which he knew was still bothering them. Giles and Jenny were already at the table with a number of books out on the table; Cordelia soon entered having decided to cancel the plans to go to the bronze with Aura, Harmony and the rest of her so called friends to ensure she was here for the summing of Janus. 

“I have found the relative books for the summoning process; we can start once everyone has left” Giles told him. “I must ask one last time whether you want to do this?” he inquired after a few seconds pause. 

“I have too Giles, I can’t proceed without those answers to guide me” Xander told him. “If I tell too much about the future too fast I might accidently bring about multiple threats we are not ready to face, and right now we still need to deal with Spike and Drusilla” he explained rubbing his face. “Both are dangerous, Spike more so than Drusilla although she has her own dangers about her not least her ability as a seer” he pointed out. “A seer I am somewhat worried about, in the future it is her ability to see that leads directly to Jenny’s death as she warns Angelus about her trying to translate the soul spell” he admitted. 

Jenny shivered as her future death was once more brought up, she dreaded the horror her future self has felt in the minutes leading up to her death at the hand of her clan’s greatest enemy. Even today Angelus was feared and hated in equal measure; it was why the clan had kept a close eye on Angel since he was first cursed. She hated the idea that Angelus would kill not only her but her Uncle Enyos as well adding two more strikes against her clan, worse was the idea she fails to keep the curse from breaking. She had been worried about Buffy’s relationship with Angel for some time but she never would have guessed that would be the thing that would break the curse, why had the clan Elders not warned her and previous watchers what would break the curse? 

“Drusilla’s abilities are not always clear, from what I know from previous studies on her and our own encounters she see’s probabilities and what she tells is always in the way of garbled statements that often cannot be understood at all” Giles mused understanding Xander’s concern and trying not to think about Jenny’s possible death. 

“She still gets enough across to warn Spike and Angelus of incoming threats” Xander shot back. “If she see’s anything about me Giles or what I know I will become their number one target, worse they may step up their attempts to kill us all in ways they never did in the future I know about” he warned. “Imagine if they get a hold of me and turn me, everything I know will be theirs, every defeat I know we give them can then be turned into a victory and then there is everything I know about the group” he went on. “With access to that kind of information more than likely they’d become unstoppable” he declared making Cordelia and Jenny both tremble at such a bleak outlook whilst Giles removed his glasses and cleaned them so as to think over Xander had said. 

“That is a truly horrifying idea” he finally said as he put his glasses back on. “We’ll have to be more careful and ensure we watch each other’s backs from this point onwards, more than likely we’ll get no warning if she did get a glimpse of what you now know” he told them as Buffy, Willow and Oz came through the doors. 

“So Xander are you coming to the bronze tonight before patrol?” Willow asked trying to keep things light. 

“I can’t, I have something very important to do” Xander answered as he turned to face them. “Once it is done, I’ll hopefully know where to go from this point in what to tell you” he explained. “Just because I know what awaits us does not mean things are simple, every time I tell you something and we then change how things were the more the future will change and the less what I know will apply” he added. 

“What do you mean the less it will apply?” Buffy asked pushing her annoyance with Xander not answering her previous requests for more information aside.

“In another words Buffy the more we change things the less likely things my future self experienced will happen exactly as it did the first time” Xander replied. “The more changes we make, the more uncertain my knowledge will become” he continued. “Some of it will become useless, whilst some will be only now partially correct” he explained. 

“What about what you’ve already told us?” Willow inquired. 

“Clearly Angelus will not be released now with any luck, hence anything I know about what happens in the next few months concerning him is useless” Xander answered calmly. 

“Anything not dealing with him will more than likely remain the same or at least as good as” he mused. 

“Buffy I want you and Willow and Mr Osborn if he is agreeable to just take a small run through Ashdale cemetery tonight, I’ve been hearing of several attacks there so perhaps it is not a Vampire but something else so be on your guard” Giles requested even as Oz nodded actually curious to see actual proof of the supernatural. 

“Anything particular I should bring weapon wise if you think it isn’t a Vampire?” Buffy asked relieved she’d only have to patrol one graveyard tonight as she was still coming to grips with the changes to her and to the group due to what had happened to Xander. 

“I’d take the crossbow and perhaps a sword, I am afraid I cannot accompany you as Xander will require my assistance” Giles replied. “However if you encounter something more than you can handle, run and report back to me so I can identify what you encountered and how to kill it” he advised. 

Buffy at first was about to argue that last point but then decided not too, if anything she had learned there were somethings out there she was not fully equipped to deal with without the proper information. Had she stayed and actually questioned Giles and Angel when they were discussing the prophecy concerning her death, then perhaps she would not have ended up getting killed even if only for a brief time. She was alive only by pure luck that Xander had refused to believe in destiny, then convinced Angel to lead him into the tunnels leading to the Master’s lair to revive her. Grabbing the crossbow and some bolts before retrieving a simple short sword for the night ahead, she asked if she could stash them in Oz’s van which he agreed before all three left. Even as she left she wondered how Xander planned to get these answers he wanted, but she was not willing to ask just yet and decided to wait until tomorrow. She also wondered if Angel would join them tonight, he had said he would continue to help them patrol just not as her boyfriend.

Xander watched her go before turning to Giles knowing they still had to wait for the rest of the staff to leave before they could invoke Janus, sitting down he prayed Janus would be in reasonable mood and willing to give him the answers he needed especially where it concerned what happens concerning Cordelia and Willow. He was still having trouble wondering why he had been so blind not to see the possibility before, then there was the fact if Cordelia was right what could he do to ensure it did not happen this time. Could he protect them from the machinations of the being Angel called Jasmine and her demon helper Skip, could he find a way to stop them coming between him and Cordelia? Hopefully something in his new memories would help him in that regard, he just needed to find it. Cordelia sat opposite him lost in her own thoughts about how she would respond if the answer to the question as to why Xander cheated on her was negative, could she continue seeing him if she knew he had cheated on her willingly and not due to some outside influence. 

Finally half an hour later the school was silent as everyone else had vacated the school grounds with Snyder the last to depart after informing Giles he’d have to lock up before he left, clearly nothing was on that night not even cheerleading practice which was convenient for them. Giles and Jenny set about drawing the nessacary magic circle on the ground with chalk which would easily come off, Jenny focused on the needed runes whilst Giles set about the actually boundaries of the circle. Once they were finished or almost Giles instructed Xander to enter the circle which he did, he then finished drawing the boundary thus sealing Xander inside. He warned Cordelia not to try and enter the circle once they had begun the summoning, he also reminded Xander of the fact once they began he would not be able to exit the circle either. Xander nodded having already known that fact, he then waited as Xander and Jenny began to recite the nessacary rites to summon Janus instantly causing the circle and the runes to light up as they responded to the magic been called upon. Cordelia nervously watched as a visible blue field of energy began to surround Xander before it solidified, there was then a powerful blast of light and when her vision cleared she saw another form inside the circle floating above her boyfriend. It seemed to be a head only it had three to four separate heads each rotating back and forth, if this was Janus she was somewhat surprised by the form he had taken. 

“I’ve been expecting your summons Harris, you have questions which need answers but remember I can’t and I won’t tell you how to go about your task just give advice on what your options are” Janus said in greeting. 

“I know, but I can’t proceed without getting answers to the questions I have” Xander responded. “Chaos is all well and good but if I go too far to fast I might bring about Armageddon by accident” he pointed out. 

“True, ask your questions Harris” Janus agreed. 

“First is personal, was my cheating on Cordelia next year brought about by those two entities that have plans for her?” Xander asked as he forced himself to ask this question worried the answer he would get would be one he did not like. He dared not say either entity’s names for fear of drawing their attentions early, thus he only referred to them when needed. 

“I shouldn’t even need to answer that question Harris as it is clear they were indeed behind it, it was staring you in the fact from the moment it happened” Janus responded with a shake of his multiple heads. “That was their first move, to remove the cheerleader’s emotional support” he explained as Xander felt a swell of anger engulf him even as   
Cordelia felt a sense of relief Xander was not responsible for cheating on her. 

She wondered though just who was behind the whole thing, who were Xander and Janus referring too?

“Problem is you were too busy allowing your guilt and anger to get the better of you and thus failed to see it for what it was” Janus continued. “You also began to believe the blame rested sorely with you due to the actions of your group all pointing the finger at you” he added. “Even when you learned of the cheerleader’s fate and the many manipulations of her life you continued to allow that false sense of blame to blind you to the truth” he stated in a tone that conveyed his belief that in this instance Xander had been foolish. 

“Can I stop it happening this time?” Xander demanded to know pushing his anger aside. 

“Perhaps, you know many people and organisations that fight the same fight you do, fought beside some of the other champions including powerful witches” Janus answered taking no offence at Xander’s tone knowing where his thoughts were. “If you use your knowledge correctly then you should be able to stop it happening again, I also give a warning to Miss Chase not to leave Sunnydale until these two are dealt with” he stated turning one of his heads to stare directly at Cordelia who shifted uneasily at the attention. 

“Inside the boundaries of this town you are safe from the influence of beings like myself, granted her helper can still interfere which is how Harris was made to cheat on you but the helper is at least defeatable if he uses his knowledge correctly” he informed them all. “If you leave however whatever protections you have here will be lost, and you will have no way of stopping been influenced by her” he warned. 

“Who is she?” Cordelia could not help but ask. 

“Harris will tell you when the time is right, saying their names may gain their attention early and that is not something you want” Janus answered with a dark smile that made Cordelia shiver. “Just know that until they are destroyed your life and your soul are at risk, stay in Sunnydale and trust Harris to do his best to ensure your survival” he stated. 

“That is all I will say on this subject Harris, next question” he said turning the face back to Xander. 

“What happened to Dawn when time reset, I mean by the time I almost died she had been dead for two years but before she joined us in Sunnydale she was a ball of energy hidden in an ancient temple guarded by the monks” Xander asked. “Did she return to her state as a ball of energy or has she ceased to exist due to what has happened?” he wanted to know. 

“The key could not return to her state as a ball of energy Harris due to one very important fact when she was given human form and sent to Summers and her Mother for protection” Janus answered. 

“Her soul” Giles could not help but mummer which was easily heard by everyone in the room. 

“Indeed Ripper she was granted a soul and a soul once given cannot be taken back” Janus agreed with a smile at one his former best follower. “When time reset Dawn Summers returned as she was as a human taking the place of the ball of energy she had been, this has taken the monks by surprise but they had been told to protect her until someone comes to retrieve her” he explained even as Xander paled at this news.

“Does Dawn know what has happened?” Xander asked before continuing asking questions. “Is she as she was when she first appeared in Sunnydale or as she was before she died?” he wondered aloud. 

“Sadly her state of being as the key prevents her been reset back to how she was when she first took human form, her body has reverted to that of a twelve year old but her memories like yours remain intact” Janus explained seriously. “Hence she knows exactly what happens just like you do, should you choose to retrieve her be warned you may inadvertently draw the attention of the hell goddess who seeks to use her powers and also draw the Knights to Sunnydale as well and at this moment none of you are capable of dealing with either” he continued. 

“So I should just leave her alone? Surrounded by monks who know nothing about her” Xander shot back in annoyance

“What you decide to do is up to you Harris I only offer a suggestion and a warning” Janus replied in a tone that made Xander back off and remember who he was talking too.   
His relationship with Janus was never easy and he had to remember to show him respect, or more than likely he was going to end up a greasy stain on the floor. 

“If I go after her will the memory spell activate so Buffy and Joyce and everyone else will remember her?” Xander asked as he refocused himself on the problem at hand.

“Only so far as to ensure she will be protected hence the Summers will only remember her been a part of their family as will everyone else but those memories will only go as far as to current events not anything that happens in the future” Janus answered. “The key has already been warned of this fact, upset though she is she understands the reasoning behind it” he added to which Xander nodded in understanding relieved Dawn knew what was going on and somewhat relieved there was someone else who knew the horrors that were to come. 

“What is the status of Tara and her Mother and if they are both alive can I interfere in what happens to them?” Xander asked changing subjects. 

“Both are alive but under serious threat from the males of their family as you know” Janus responded. “As to whether you interfere or not that is up to you, but be warned there could be consequences to whatever you chose to do” he warned. “The males of that family serve an old enemy of mine, drawing his attention will be dangerous but he like me can only act through his followers and not directly thus more than likely if you do draw his attention you’ll have to deal with his followers starting with the witches male family members” he informed them. 

“Can Kendra’s fate be avoided and if it can what kind of affect will that have on Faith?” he wondered. “Also can I contact and alter Faith’s path no matter what happens with Kendra?” he added. 

“The fate of the second Slayer is not yet sealed and thus can be altered but beware that if her fate is changed you may alter the future to the point your memories will be of no help drawing new enemies and altering events beyond what you know” Janus replied as his faces continued to change from one to the other. “As for the dark Slayer her fate too is not yet sealed alongside the fate of her Watcher, but again changing their path may have unintended side effects” he warned seriously. “Drawing the attention of Kakistos and his legions will be dangerous when combined with the threat of Spike and Drusilla not the mention the hidden threat in Sunnydale” he pointed out. 

“Hidden threat?” Jenny inquired unable to help herself. 

“I know who he is talking about but again best not to mention names just in case he has spells active to alert him to anyone knowing the truth” Xander cut in before Janus could say anything. 

“Finally is there any threat of the First braking the bonds keeping it in place?” Xander felt he had to ask about this as his knowledge of what allowed the first to get lose was small at best not seeing how Giles paled at the mere mention of the being.

“The only way the First can break free is if history repeats itself and the redheaded Witch brings Summers back if she should die again” Janus answered. “Do everything you can Harris to ensure that does not happen, the First is best left bound where it is” he all but ordered. “Should Summers perish then as sad as that will be especially for those in your group it is best if she stays dead” he advised ignoring the look of horror Giles gained at his advice. “I am expecting you Ripper to aide Harris to the best of your ability, if you are so concerned about Summers dying again then train her better and stop her arrogance from consuming her” he stated turning one of his faces to look at Giles. “You chose to be a Watcher but since arriving here you have allowed Summers to control this group, time for you to step up to your responsibilities and take charge” he continued. “Do not put all the pressure on Harris to change the future, you must help as should the Gypsy beside you” he coldly told them. 

Giles took a deep breath having almost forgotten the sort of power one could feel when in the presence of Janus. “I will do all I can to aide Xander Lord Janus and you are correct for too long I have allowed Buffy to control things, no more I will step up to my responsibilities as a Watcher and a teacher and hopefully prevent what happened to Buffy and to Willow from repeating” he assured the powerful being he had once served. 

“See that you do Ripper or we will meet again only it will not be a pleasant meeting for you” Janus warned him. “You have your answers Harris, use what I have told you carefully and remember you have knowledge of where you can get help as needed use it” he advised. “Before I go I give a warning two forces within Sunnydale have had glimpse of the threat you now pose and seek to find the threat tread carefully Harris” he added before he vanished in a flash of light leaving the library in silence even as Giles finally forced himself to begin braking the magic circle so Xander could exit. 

Cordelia sat down her mind going crazy as she thought over everything Janus had told her, wondering just what being it was that had plans for her and wondering what would happen should she ignore his warnings to stay in Sunnydale no matter what. Jenny moved to make everyone a cup of tea wondering what the hidden threat was both Janus and Xander had mentioned, she also wondered just how Xander would move forward now he had the answers he had sought. Xander however was already trying to figure out Janus’s final warning, he closed his eyes and hoped it was not who he suspected it was.


	5. chapter 5

+FB+

(Sunnydale High)

Buffy led Willow, Oz and Angel who had thankfully turned up the nick of time to assist them back into the library three hours after leaving. After a short time in the bronze they had headed out to first show Oz proof of Vampires before going hunting for the Demon who Giles had mentioned. The Demon however had turned out to be stronger than she had believed and ended up losing the sword whilst the crossbow Willow had proved ineffective against the Demon’s tough hide, she had been about to call a retreat when Angel had shown up grabbing her sword from the ground before taking the Demon’s left arm of forcing it to run. They’d tried to track it using the blood trail only to discover there was another of these things in the tunnel it was using to hide in, hence she had called a retreat so they could get more information on how to kill this particular brand of Demon. They entered to find Xander asleep with Cordelia resting against him clearly also asleep, Jenny was passed against the table with only Giles still awake reading a book and drinking what seemed to be a cup of coffee. 

Of course seeing Angel again was painful after he had broken up with her only the night before, acting normal in front of him was difficult but thankfully she managed without causing any trouble or for Angel to walk away hence he had accompanied them back to the library. Giles looked up after hearing the doors open to see the others had return, putting his book down he got up to greet them wondering if they had found the Demon he had told them about or not. Considering the look of them he would bet they had, whether they had managed to slay it or not he could not tell just yet. 

“Any success?” he inquired. 

“We found it Giles but it was way stronger than we thought and its skin is thick as hell as it shrugged off the bolts from the crossbow, Angel managed to wound it by taking it by surprise but it managed to run away” Buffy reported as she put the sword down on the table with just enough force to wake Cordelia, Xander and Jenny. “Sorry” she said as she noted the glare Cordelia was giving her after letting out a yawn. “Worse there is more than one of these things, they are hiding in a cave but taking on more than one of these things without more information is a bad idea so we came back here” she explained. 

“Do you think you could identify it if you saw a picture of it in the books?” Giles inquired. 

“Yeah I don’t think I’ll be forgetting it anytime soon” Buffy responded with a nod of her head as Willow, Oz and Angel sat down at the table and Giles headed into the stacks to get some books. “So did you get your answers Xander?” she inquired as she joined them in sitting down. 

“Yeah we got them Buff, one was a big surprise the rest at least gives me some ideas on how to precede” he informed them followed by a yawn. “The more worrying thing was the warning Janus gave us” he added with a frown. 

“What warning?” Willow asked not liking the sound of that as Giles came back carrying a stack of books.

“Janus warned us that two sources within Sunnydale had caught glimpses of the danger I now pose to them with my new knowledge, they will seek that source of change no matter what” Xander told them. “We need to watch each other’s backs especially on patrol no going off on our own no matter what and that includes you and Angel” he continued and quickly went on before Buffy could argue. “Buffy you are good don’t get me wrong, perhaps one of the best Slayer’s there has been in years but no matter your skill you can still be taken out by weight of numbers” he pointed out cutting Buffy off by the combined compliment and warning. “In fact that is exactly what happens to Kendra near the end of the year, she was killed by weight of numbers led by Drusilla but sent by Angelus” he admitted. 

“Why was she back in Sunnydale?” Buffy couldn’t help but ask feeling a real sense of loss and sorrow at the news her Sister Slayer the only other girl who knew what it was like to have her destiny was killed. 

Xander let out a pained sigh as the memories of that time surfaced; Kendra had been a wonderful girl even if her growth had been stunted by the foolish idiots of the Watcher’s Council. They hadn’t wanted an independent thinker they had wanted a robot, only doing and acting as she was ordered and he wondered once more if Buffy and Faith had broken the mould when they had been called. Her contact with Buffy and the group had begun to change Kendra, she had begun to grow beyond what the council had wanted only to be cut down by that bitch Drusilla due to Buffy’s foolish mistake in letting Angel bate her away from been where she was needed at her fellow Slayer’s side. 

“She came back to help us deal with Acathla which had been unearthed by Angelus, Acathla was a Demon which could suck the entire world into hell and the last time it was unleashed it almost sucked the world into hell had not the Slayer of that time and a virtuous knight not stopped it” Xander finally began explaining. “The sword she used to kill it or at least stop it was one of two swords capable of doing it damage both blessed by a virtuous knight who aided the Slayer of that time, Kendra brought the second sword with her when she returned as her Watcher had been warned by a seer of Acathla’s reawakening” he pressed on glancing at Cordelia as he said the word seer. “The first sword was still imbedded in the chest of Acathla which caused him to turn to stone, Angelus hoped to find a way of removing the sword so as to wake Acathla up” he paused as he contemplated whether to tell them the whole story including the mistakes they had made during the whole situation.

“Of course he needed help to decipher how to reawaken the Demon and thus decided to kidnap Giles to do so; this choice was made as Willow if her infinite arrogance decided she could perform the re-ensouling spell Jenny had managed to complete and save to a disk before she was murdered by Angelus” Xander pushed on deciding perhaps learning how they had fucked up might shake both girls up and make them think harder before acting. 

“Hey I am not arrogant” Willow protested cutting in at the way Xander had described her. 

“You can be Willow and when you made that choice it was supreme arrogance to believe you could successfully cast such a high powered dark magic curse on your first go, when before that you’d never even cast a simple spell like floating a pencil” Xander shot back doing his best to suppress at the anger his future self had felt flood him. “Magic is a discipline and cannot be rushed, you can’t jump ahead like you do in ordinary classes and you can’t just read instructions and then expect to get the right results” he added. 

“Xander is correct Willow, magic is not something you can use so rashly as it takes years to gain the right mind set and will to control the energies a Witch or Warlock can call on” Giles interceded clearly seeing Xander was struggling once more with his emotions as could Cordelia who reached over and grabbed his hand hoping to distract him. “You will recall only recently we met Ethan and you will also recall learning about what he and I along with our friends got up to when we summoned demons in our youth including Eyghon” he continued as Willow tried to argue but stopped as he pressed on. “Magic is dangerous and if one is not prepared to use it properly it will slowly corrupt you and destroy you, that would have happened to me had I continued had not the death of Randall woke me up to my folly” he stated coldly still feeling the guilt he felt in his friend’s death even all these years later. “The idea your future self could harness such power especially for such a powerful dark curse is foolish to the extreme, my future self should have stepped in and stopped you before you even started but he was clearly distracted or stupid in thinking you could succeed or perhaps to uneasy of refusing to try due to pressure put on him by your future selves” he finished shocking Buffy and Willow at the suggestion. 

“When the disk was found Buffy immediately ordered it be tried so as to resoul Angelus and thus bring back Angel and Willow instantly said she could do it, neither cared about the danger involved or the risks and that showed a rather selfish side to them both” Xander started again before an argument could break out. “We were to protect Willow encase Drusilla got some glimpse of what we were up to like she had with Jenny but Buffy allowed herself to be drawn away even though she knew she was been baited by Angelus, she just could not resist going to him as if just talking to him could bring back her lover” he continued doing his best not to glare at Buffy whilst Angel frowned as he listened to how Buffy had reacted to Angelus been free and it was something he was not liking. “You left her on her own to defend the library and she was killed because of it because you weren’t there to watch her back, because you let your emotions for Angel get in the way” he could not help but accuse. “Kendra was killed, Willow was put into a coma, I got a broken arm and Giles was kidnapped to be tortured for information on how to release Acathla only Oz and Cordelia escaped any serious injury and later on you would be blamed for Kendra’s death by that bastard troll Snyder but it could all of have been averted had you listened to us” he cut himself off before he said anything else. 

Buffy stared at Xander in shock as he all but accused her of been responsible for Kendra’s death due to letting herself be led away when she was clearly needed, had her future herself gotten so involved with Angel that she had not been willing to see the change in him once his soul was gone? She asked herself. She could hear the honest to god anger Xander felt at her choice in a future that for them had not happened yet, yet clearly it had affected him and more likely her friendship with him. Why had her future self not seen the trap for what it was, why had she left her Sister Slayer alone to defend her friends knowing they had little to no real combat abilities? A part of her wanted to shout at him to refute his claims but she couldn’t because she could see it in his eyes and hear it in his voice, she had done this and it had ended up with her fellow Slayer dead her Watcher captured and her friends badly injured. 

“You can’t put all the blame on her” Willow protested in her stead unable to believe Buffy would make such a choice without good reason. 

Xander didn’t respond instead he got up and paced knowing if he said anymore it might cause a bigger argument that they needed right now, but he could see Buffy had been shocked perhaps hopefully deeply enough to see how following one’s emotions could lead them into trouble. Even he was not able to fully escape their clutches and had made mistakes based on his emotions that had cost them, just not as badly as those made by Buffy and Willow who were more prone to letting themselves be led by their emotions. Giles used logic more often than not as did Jenny; the rest of them could not escape their emotions interfering with their logic. Cordelia jumped up and moved over to his side placing what she hoped was a comforting hand on his shoulder; she could feel the struggle going on inside Xander between anger, hatred and love for the two girls still seated. As he had said his emotions had been badly shaken since he had woken with his new memories, slowly she managed to pull him into a hug which he eagerly returned feeling a sense of peace fill him at the contact and missing the stare of anger Willow shot them. 

She knew she didn’t really have a right to be as angry as she was in the process of trying to get up the courage to talk to Oz about the possibility of dating, Xander had already laid the groundwork by outing her feelings yesterday she just needed to admit it. But seeing Xander and Cordelia a girl she still very much disliked was hard, Cordelia had tormented them and Jessie for years as children and yet Xander seemed so willing to forget their past and bask in Cordelia’s presence and comfort and it baffled her. Oz watched from beside her as the emotions passed over her face; he could tell she was struggling to understand Xander and Cordelia’s relationship and what drew them together. He might not know the full story but he could see the honest emotion between the two and he hoped his crush would not interfere; they still had to talk about their own relationship as so far the redhead had proved unready for that talk. 

“Yes he can because I did it I left Kendra alone when I should have known better” Buffy finally spoke up getting her emotions under control. “Listen to his voice as he speaks and look into his eyes and you can see I did this, I let myself be led around by an enemy just because he wore Angel’s face and it cost us” she went on as Willow looked at her in complete surprise whilst Giles found himself smiling proudly at her seeing and hearing the truth instead of lashing out. “You hate me for it don’t you?” she asked as she stood up and moved to face him eye to eye as Cordelia pulled back from him slightly to watch her uneasily. 

“No I don’t hate you Buffy as you are now as you were when we met” Xander responded gripping her shoulders softly as Cordelia pulled back fully allowing him to move. “I was angry after it happened yes and that anger remained for some time, as events unfolded the anger deepened but only because of how things happened between us how lost you became due to the trauma’s you suffered that made you change” he tried to explain without giving away the truth or admitting that by the end before he death sacrificing herself for Dawn he had begun to dislike her but the hate had only come later when he learned how she was treating the potential Slayer’s and then how she had taken power once the great summoning as it was called to activate all Slayer’s, and foolishly allowed the Immortal inside the new council best he not admit that. 

No the real hatred had been reserved for Willow alone and it was the redhead he had true trouble facing without seeing her future self in her place, it was hard not to rage at her for what she would do in the years to come. It was a struggle not to think about taking some kind of pre-emptive action to ensure Willow would never be a threat first to Mary Jane then Cordelia and finally to the rest of the world, but he pushed on and forced that hatred down as best he could. Cordelia watched as Buffy eyed Xander clearly thinking over his words perhaps wondering just what changes she had gone through, would she see there was clearly more that Xander was not saying. Buffy finally backed off not willing to push Xander not right now, she knew he was keeping things from them and her in particular but for now she was willing to let him do so. Maybe if she could get him alone he would be willing to confide in her about her future self, just how bad she had gotten because right now leaving Kendra alone to face countless foes so she could chat with Angel’s darker half out of some kind of need to see him was bad enough. 

“I take it Willow did not stay in a coma and that we managed to defeat Acathla?” Giles inquired moving the conversation onwards. 

“Yeah she woke up only to once again let arrogance get the better of at the worst moment as Angelus was about to unleash Acathla and Buffy was finally in the right mind set to kill him to save us all, the last thing she needed was a blind hope Willow could pull off a miracle” Xander answered feeling tired from explaining all this and ignoring the glare Willow was shooting him. “But still she wanted to try and then sent me to tell Buffy just after she’d had her talk with Whistler but I couldn’t do it as I knew if I told her she’d hesitate or try and stall for time and it would be all so I lied” he admitted. “I lied to you Buff and I think somewhere inside you must of known but you just focused on the task at hand, I rescued Giles and you fought Angelus” he went on. 

“Did I manage to cast the spell?” Willow demanded to know getting a little fed up at been labelled as arrogant, she was not and never had been arrogant she just knew what she was capable of and no matter what Giles and Xander said she did not doubt her future self had learnt how to cast magic as easily as she had learnt computer hacking.

“According to Cordelia and Oz halfway through you were possessed by some kind of outside force which allowed you to complete the spell but it was not without cost to you, your body was in no way capable of dealing with the power you called upon and whatever possessed you left an imprint because from that point on you changed” Xander answered somewhat reluctantly. “Computers became a thing of the past and you became obsessed with learning magic, you didn’t care about the risks and just kept going even after it bit you in the arse a few years later” he was unable stop himself growling at little as he finished as he remembered his future self learning about the actions of Willow after he had left Sunnydale including almost killing Dawn and going to some kind of Warlock to enhance her powers whose powers had addictive qualities. 

“Enough” Cordelia said seeing Xander was getting agitated again and decided it was best to call it a night. “We can talk more tomorrow as it is Saturday, no school” she added as everyone turned to look at her. 

“Agreed, I think it best we all think over what Xander has told us” Giles decided with a nod of his head. 

“Before we leave just to remind you one last thing Janus gave us a warning” Xander said as he allowed Cordelia to lead him to the door. “Two enemies had seen glimpses of something that could pose a threat to them, I am that something and it will not take them long to start looking closer at us and once they determine it is one of us they will try and either kill us or worse turn us” he warned them all. “One of them we discussed before and is known to us” he told them. 

“Drusilla” Angel guessed easily to which Xander nodded his head in agreement. 

“Whilst her ability to see is powerful what she tells Spike or Angelus when he was active is not always viable due to the state of her mind” Xander continued. “So whist she may know something has happened she might not be able to fully explain what to Spike” he explained. “The other enemy is known only to me and is a far more dangerous problem especially if he decides to focus on us, for now we should do nothing different to tip him off” he declared. 

“Who is this unknown threat?” Oz inquired. 

“Best I not get into that right now as there is nothing we can do about him right now and he is not the pressing problem unless he turns his attention to us” Xander answered not missing the frown Giles or Buffy gave him at his response. “Either way we cannot allow them to find the source, my knowledge in a Vampire or under the unknowns control could spell the end for us all within a month so it best we not go anywhere alone at night even on patrol” he suggested. “Best we all watch each other’s backs from now one” he added which Giles and Jenny agreed with as Cordelia pulled Xander through the doors and out to her car. 

+FB+

(Town Hall)

The Mayor sat in his office calmly writing out a list of things he would need to complete before the new year came in, all in preparation for his ascension which if he had planned right would take place the day the Slayer’s year group would graduate. That seemed somewhat appropriate as he intended for the children to be there as once he was transformed he would need massive amounts of food to sustain him, been at a graduation ceremony seemed to take care of that necessity. Eating the Slayer would also be symbolic of his great moment, he had been planning this for a hundred years and he would allow nothing to get in the way of him succeeding. This made the news there was now something active that could be a threat worrying, so far his seers had not managed to get any more information which was annoying. 

Clearly whatever it or they were was clearly shielded as Rogan had suggested he had said something had changed from how it was supposed to be but he could not tell him what exactly had changed. Leaning back in his seat he wondered if the Slayer and her group had anything to do with this? Perhaps he should send someone to scope them out and see just what they were up to as before this he’d not intended to keep such a close eye on them until next year perhaps that had been an error. Perhaps he’d been a bit too lenient due to them destroying his old nemesis Heinrich Joseph Nest over wise known as the Master, if they posed a threat to his plans due to whatever it was that had happened he’d have to have them destroyed no matter his earlier plans to use the Slayer and her group to keep supernatural problems under control. 

(Rosenberg Residence)

Buffy sat in Willow’s living room as the redhead made them something to drink; they’d hitched a lift home in Oz’s van once the meeting had broken up. She hadn’t argued going home as she was tired and her mind was somewhat shot from the revelations Xander had let out, Willow she could tell was still annoyed by the way Xander had described their future selves especially her own. She however was a bit more willing to think over what was said, as she had told Willow she could see and hear the truth as Xander spoke there had been not one hint of falsehood as he told his tale. Willow returned with two mugs which she eagerly accepted taking a deep gulp from it, leaning back she waited for Willow to start talking she knew she would. 

“How could you be so calm when he was all but accusing you of getting Kendra killed in the future?” Willow finally demanded to know once she had sat across from her. 

“As I said he wasn’t lying, in the future he now remembers I all but abandoned Kendra to defend the library and the rest of you by herself and I did it for selfish reasons” Buffy responded with a sigh. “Angel was gone and I yet from everything Xander said I was still seeing Angel in him, believing I could somehow bring him back when there was nothing to bring back not without his soul and I was willing to risk you to try and give it him back” she went on. “I should have been smarter than that, Merrik my original Watcher would have been horrified to see me make so many mistakes” she admitted with a shake of her head. “He wasn’t trying to be insulting Willow he was just giving his view of what happened, true or not doesn’t matter that was how he views how things went and it all had a sense of truth to it” she finished as she began to drink her cup of tea. 

“I still wouldn’t have allowed him to get away with what he said, I mean he made out like it was always us that made mistakes hell he called me arrogant for wanting to help you” Willow protested having already finished off her drink. “I am not arrogant and if my future self believed she could cast that spell well I damn well think she could no matter what he and Giles said about magic I’ve never failed to do anything I’ve set my mind too” she argued. 

Buffy listened to her friend easily detecting the outrage she felt at been doubted, perhaps even though she didn’t want to think it Xander had a point about Willow. The redhead clearly did not like her intelligence to be questioned and that to her could be a problem in the future if she decided to try and prove Xander wrong. Giles she could tell was also concerned by Willow trying to learn magic which told her that perhaps Xander had told him more than he had told the rest of the group, Willow had obviously missed the point of his speech about magic and that concerned her. 

“Willow perhaps you should not let your outrage at Xander seemingly insulting you blind you to the warnings both he and Giles gave about the dangers of magic” she hesitantly stated not wanting to annoy her friend any more than she was. “I get that your smart Willow but not even the smartest person knows everything first time out, you heard what he said about what he said about been possessed by some kind of entity and it leaving a mark in you” she reminded her. 

Willow stared at her for a few minutes feeling her outrage grow at even Buffy doubting her before pushing that aside and trying to think more logical on everything she had learned, perhaps she should be a bit more wary about the dangers involved in learning magic and Buffy was right that not even the smartest person knows everything or gets it right first time out. She just didn’t like been doubted, perhaps a by-product of been bullied for much of her childhood. Nodding her head she settled back into her seat and tried not to think about it and instead tried to talk about more normal things, Buffy thankfully seemed to sense her choice and easily fell into the conversation. 

+FB+

(Chase Mansion)

Cordelia was glad her parents were not coming back anytime soon as that meant she could again get Xander to stay at her place, she knew he was still somewhat agitated not only from the rather tense discussion with the group but more to the point the answers and warning Janus had given. The warning was praying on her mind, she didn’t like the sound of it one bit and she especially didn’t want the nutbag Drusilla coming after her or Xander and not even the rest of the group as that particular Vampire scared her just from what she had heard about her. She also did not like hearing about some unknown threat been in Sunnydale either, the fact Xander would not tell them who it was worried her but for now she would accept this unknown was not a threat to them. She just prayed he would not turn his attention to them fully, pulling Xander into the house she pushed him onto the sofa and quickly curled up against him. 

“What kind of threat is this unknown?” she finally inquired. 

Xander let out a sigh before answering. “He’s human at least for now he is and that is why I won’t say who he is as we are not able to take him on” he admitted. “He’s powerful and he has a lot of allies that we also cannot fight, Slayer’s are meant to deal with Demons and Vampires not humans” he explained. “Kendra’s replacement is called Faith and sadly she will accidently end up killing a human and it will almost drive her insane, perhaps something to do with the Slayer spirit reacting badly to doing something it was never meant to do added to the trauma Faith had already undergone before she turned up in Sunnydale” he continued.

“You’re worried Buffy might still go after him if you tell her who it is?” Cordelia asked not liking what she was hearing. 

“Maybe” Xander replied hesitating in replying. “Next year Buffy will almost feed another human being had she been able to catch her to Angel to save him life from a poison whose only cure was the blood of a Slayer, she failed but just the fact she tried still disturbs me even though it hasn’t happened yet” he admitted. “I’m not willing to take the chance she might do something stupid either by trying to take him out or exposing him, either is a bad idea right now” he concluded. 

Cordelia stared at Xander is shock as he admitted what Buffy would do again showing just how far she was willing to go for Angel, it was a disturbing thing to know she would be willing to sacrifice a human just to save him. Then it hit her if the blood of a Slayer was the only way to counteract the poison he’d been subjected to then might meant the other human she had tried to feed to him was Faith this replacement for Kendra, that realisation stunned her. 

“Promise me you won’t tell them” Xander requested breaking through her surprise. 

“I promise, how could she be so willing to turn another Slayer over to any Vampire souled Angel or not?” she assured him before asking the question that had bubbled up in her mind. 

“I don’t know what was running through her mind, that was the year I began to truly wonder what Buffy was capable off if she made the wrong choices” Xander responded with a shake of his head. “In the end to save him she gave him her own blood thus weakening herself just when we were about to fight the unknown threat I mentioned and stop him not only ascending but opening the hellmouth” he told her and the troubled look in his eyes told her just how stupid he had thought that choice was given the circumstances. 

“That choice to let him feed to weaken herself could have proven the end for her and for the rest of us, it was again stupid and selfish not that she saw it that way and as usual Willow supported her” he went on. 

Cordelia decided to get them off this topic of conversation, slowly she reached up and turned him to face her before leaning up and kissing him. At first surprised Xander eagerly returned the kiss falling back into the sofa and bringing Cordelia to lean against him as they began to make out, his hand trailed down her body slipping over the side of her left breast before coming to rest on her side. Cordelia let out a moan as she felt Xander’s hand actually touch her breast if even for a second; deepening the kiss she relaxed totally and pushed her worries aside. Xander too had pushed his concerns aside and focused on the pleasant experience he was currently engaged in, it was far more passionate than he recalled from his future memories. 

+FB+

(Angel’s hideout)

Angel sat brooding on everything he had currently learned since Xander had revealed he now had memories of a future that frankfully disturbed him on many levels; the recent meeting had revealed even more disturbing things to think over. Not least was how Buffy seemed to react to Angelus, treating him as if he was still there somewhere inside the Demon when it was clear once his soul was gone nothing of him remained inside. Why couldn’t she see that? He’d have to have a talk with Buffy and Giles on the off chance somehow Angelus still got lose somewhere down the road. Buffy had to be made to see Angelus had to be killed if he should make an appearance, the soul spell should not be attempted at all should Jenny decide to translate it to English as a backup. It was too risky, he had heard the warnings both Xander and Giles had given when talking about how Willow’s future self had delved into using magic. Perhaps it was time he tried to get into contact with Whistler and see what his mentor’s take on all this was, hopefully he might have some insightful information to help.


	6. chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (AN: Sorry for the wait for this chapter but I have been ill for the last few days and still am not much better but I thought I'd get the first half of the next two chapters out, hope you enjoy and the next chapter should finally how the first part of the crossover with hellsing)

+FB+

(Chase Mansion)

Cordelia startled awake as she felt Xander shift uneasily underneath her, clearly in the throw of another nightmare, however it seemed not as bad as the one he’d had the night before. She liked to think her presence curled on top of him was helping; their earlier make out session had at least relaxed them both after the rather tense end to the meeting. She had stepped in because she could tell Xander was getting a little frustrated not with Buffy who actually seemed to be listening to him which surprised her, no it was mostly down to Willow who seemed to only focus on what she saw as the insulting way Xander referred to her future self’s actions. She knew nothing about magic but she knew it was not something to mess around with so recklessly, Willow hadn’t even paid attention to the fact she would become possessed by something. Possession as they had just seen with the recent Eyghon thing was not a nice thing to have happen, so how the redhead could just ignore it to focus on arguing how to view her future actions was beyond her.   
Feeling Xander shift again she began to run her hand softly through his hair and slowly Xander began to settle again, smiling she resettled herself against and wondered how the meeting tomorrow would go. With Buffy actually listening to Xander she did not expect much trouble from the blond Slayer, no she was more concerned Willow would do something to try and prove Xander’s view of her actions wrong. The redhead was sadly just too sure of herself to take an accusation or put down; closing her eyes she slowly settled back into sleep just as the idea of asking Oz to try and keep Willow in line hit her. 

+FB+

(Abandoned Warehouse)

Spike sat alone in a darkened corner of his current hideout still contemplating Drusilla’s warning the night before, sadly he was no closer to understanding it than when she had given the warning. Also no matter how much he asked Drusilla was of no help understanding the warning, in fact she seemed completely unware of what she had said which annoyed him as usually she at least remembered what she saw. Blowing smoke out of his mouth from the cigarette he was smoking he considered the idea something or someone was somehow blocking Drusilla, it was a farfetched idea but it might explain why she had no memory of the warning. He had no idea where to start looking for the supposed threat, the simple idea was perhaps the Slayer or one of her friends but they seemed to be operating as normal as he’d stalked Summers, two of her friends and finally old Angelus during a hunt. Not one of them had done anything that raised any red flags to him; he knew they were not the only possible threats in Sunnydale though.   
There was other Vampire Masters in town who’d love a chance to not only kill him and Drusilla but assumed the position of top dog, just as they had done when they first arrived and killed the so called Anointed One to assume command. Then there was the black mage who hid behind the face of the town Mayor, the ancient enemy of the late unlamented Master. He was a threat to all Vampires if the rumours Spike had heard had any truth to the, he liked the world the way it was and he had no intention of seeing the Hellmouth open as he knew if it did he and every other Vampire would die. If not that then they would drop to the bottom of the food chain, worse their food supply would more than likely be wiped out should the portal open and the pureblood Demons returned? He was sure there were other Demons out there that could be the threat, so where to start looking. Hopefully Drusilla would have another vision that would help pinpoint where to look, finishing off his cigarette he flicked the butt away and stood up to going hunting as both he and Drusilla needed to feed.

+FB+

(Giles Residence)

Giles awoke feeling somewhat sluggish so much so that he was glad it was the weekend and thus he did not need to get up to work, however he knew he could not lie in as he knew soon the others would arrive to complete the meeting from last night. They had chosen to meet at his house as it was the only place without anyone getting suspicious of them, letting out a yawn he got and began to get ready for the day. He paused as he headed down to make himself some breakfast, he suddenly recalled he and Jenny had sworn to sit down to discuss their relationship and the secrets they both held before moving forwards at the weekend. Hopefully they could still do that once the meeting was over and the others left, as he prepared his breakfast his mind drifted to the meeting last night.

He had been very proud to see Buffy been willing to listen to Xander and even using her extra senses to hear and see the truth as Xander spoke, perhaps what had happened to Xander was more of a good thing than at first glance. Perhaps it would help Buffy grow faster than had things happened as originally intended, Willow however worried him with how she instead of listening and taking in what was said seemed more focused on getting angry at how Xander described her future actions. He was concerned she may try and do something to prove Xander wrong, he could not allow what Xander had said happened to Willow happen again. He would not take his eye off the ball this time, he and Jenny would train Willow from the ground up to use magic responsibly and if she could not if she disobeyed them and tried to rush it they would bind her ability to use magic no matter how much it might hurt to do it. He still recalled the horrifying image that had appeared in his mind when Xander explained how he personally had killed Willow in revenge for her killing his lover, such a horrifying act could not happen this time. 

A knock at the door made him look up as he was not expecting anyone just yet, moving to the door he opened it to find not only Xander and Cordelia outside but Jenny as well. Stepping aside he allowed them inside wondering why they were all here so early, moving back to finishing making his breakfast as well as putting on a pot of tea. Moving back into the living room he quick set about eating his breakfast whilst the others waited quietly for which he was grateful, once he was finished he quickly moved to make them all a cup of tea and once that was done returned to see why they had come early. 

“May I require why you are all here so early?” he inquired as he handed out cups to them all. 

“We had a talk planned did we not Rupert?” Jenny replied with a teasing smile which he could not help but return. 

“Of course I recall we did plan to talk on the weekend I just thought we’d wait until after the meeting” Giles responded as he sat back down and took a soothing zip of his tea. 

“Guess it’ll have to wait now but we have all day and tomorrow to work things out” Jenny agreed with a nod of her head. 

“Sorry for coming so early Giles but yesterday before I went to sleep I had an idea on how to deal with a major problem we will encounter” Xander said with an true apologetic look on his face. 

“I take it this has to do with the warning Janus gave us and perhaps the unknown threat you mentioned” Giles responded easily accepting the apology as he knew at this moment in time Xander’s mind was fixed on doing what he could to safeguard them all. 

“It does, in the future after I leave Sunnydale I will make contact with other people who fight the same enemies we do, I will also work with two different organisations whose soul duty it is to keep the end of the world from happening and to keep the darkness at bay” Xander explained. “I need to contact one of those organisations but I don’t dare use a phone or send a letter, he’d have them monitored and the minute he got wind we knew his plans he’d unleash hell to kill us all to stop us interfering” he added. “I don’t dare say who I am referring to as I am worried Buffy might try and take him out even though she cannot, nor can she expose him as he is too powerful for right now and that is not just because he is a warlock” he told them. 

“He’s human isn’t he?” Jenny inquired seeing instantly why he would say Buffy could not kill him. “That is what you mean by Buffy cannot take him out” she added for clarification. 

“Yes he’s human at least for now he is” Xander admitted seeing no reason not to confirm Jenny’s theory. “Slayers are not meant to deal with human threats only Demonic and Vampiric ones” he stated. 

“Agreed, I’ve read about past instances where Slayer’s have killed humans and the affects it had on them” Giles cut in removing his glasses and rubbing his eyes not even wanting to think about Buffy suffering such a fate. “And I recall Janus mentioning you knew other champions and organisations you could call on for help, what is your plan to contact them if not phone or letter?” he inquired. 

“Astral projection” Xander answered knowing neither Giles nor Jenny would instantly agree to this due to the risks involved and he was not disappointed as Giles quickly spoke up.

“Xander astral projection is not something to do without considering all the risks, if you are not anchored properly you could get lost in the either” he argued. “Worse there are entities that prowl the either and could rip your soul apart as you seek your target” he added making Cordelia worry more about Xander’s plan than she had when he originally told her what he wanted to do before coming here. 

“Only if I do not shield myself properly Giles and I have complete faith you and Jenny can come up with a ward setting to protect me as I make the trip” Xander countered easily having been prepared for the arguments. “Whilst the journey will be a long trip it is nessacary, luckily where I intend to go has its own shields so once I reach it I will be protected by their shields as well and I am certain they can add to whatever shields you give me for the return trip” he informed them. 

“How far do you intend to travel Xander?” Jenny asked knowing Xander was correct in his view but wishing he wasn’t. Astral projection was as Giles said dangerous and she did not want to see anything bad happen to Xander as she knew it would devastate the group and Cordelia especially. 

She was not blind to how much closer the two seemed since Xander had received his future memories, it was clear it had allowed them to breach whatever barriers had still existed between them something she was hoping would prove true for her and Rupert as well once they could talk about where they stood. 

“England” Xander told them simply with a smile. “And before you ask Giles no I am not contacting the Council, you know as well as I do they are basically morons no there is another organisation in England much better equipped to fight the darkness” he added even as Giles went to speak before going silent as he realised who Xander intended to contact. 

“You worked for them in the future?” Giles finally asked as he recovered from the surprise. 

“I did for two years after leaving Sunnydale, it was a real eye opener to find another organisation not only fighting the same fight we did but better equipped and more modernized than the Council who insisted on sticking with the weapons of previous centuries” Xander replied. 

“I am sure it was, still if you truly intend to do this then you must give me and Jenny time to work out the best ward settings we can before you go” Giles told him after sharing a quick look with Jenny. “So at best it will be either tonight or tomorrow before we attempt this, I hope you understand why” he added. 

“I do Giles and believe me I do not intend to rush things so take what time you need to work this out and then we can try it” Xander replied. “I am still thinking of how to explain things to them, so tomorrow will be fine” he mused.

“Xander can you give us any hint who this unknown threat is?” Jenny asked. 

“I don’t dare say his name but perhaps I can write down who it is and why as long as you burn it afterwards” Xander responded. “I dare not give him any hint we know what he is up too” he added. 

Jenny nodded wondering just who the unknown threat was because the way Xander was speaking of him it was clear he felt this person was far more dangerous than Spike and Drusilla, Giles too wondered at the identity of this threat but waited calmly as Xander got a piece of paper from a pad he handed him and began to write. Cordelia watched having stayed quite during the conversation, she just hoped whatever Giles and Jenny did to shield Xander worked as she had no plans to lose him now she knew truly knew she was falling in love with him. 

+FB+

(Summer’s residence)

Buffy stared at herself in the mirror as she prepared to head over to Giles home to continue not only the meeting from last night, but more than likely identifying the Demon they had seen during the patrol. She was trying to see the image of her future self who had left Kendra to fend for herself, who had only thought of her own desires and problems but she did not see it. She prayed her future self had actually thought about what her leaving the library to go face Angelus could result in, had actually thought about her friends and allies she was leaving to fend for themselves. Could she actually be so blind to what might happen? Closing her eyes she vowed she would not make such a selfish choice this time. Xander coming back and revealing what had happened was a blessing as it showed her the mistakes she had made or would make, mistakes that had cost them and she would not ignore the information he gave them like Willow seemed to be doing. Giles and Miss Calendar was taking it seriously and so would she, opening her eyes she turned away from the mirror and headed downstairs.

“Are you going out Buffy?” Joyce inquired as she noted her daughter had come down and wondering whether to breech the subject of what had been bothering her for the last day or two. 

“Yeah we’re all meeting over at Giles place to do some revision for a big test that is coming up” Buffy responded at least saved from having to lie as there was a test coming up but only for Miss Calendar’s computer class but her Mom didn’t need to know that. “We even have a new member to our study group named Oz and Willow seems to like him” she admitted hoping this would distract her Mother from inquiring why they were meeting at her Watcher’s place instead of the library like usual.

“I see so she is finally getting over her crush on Xander?” Joyce asked with interest as she had seen quite clearly that Xander had no interest in that regard towards the redhead as he was very much connected to Cordelia. 

Whilst Cordelia could be somewhat loud and abrasive Joyce felt she was a perfect match for Xander, she didn’t know why but when she saw them together they just seemed to gel as if they had a deeper connection than what one saw surface wise. She had seen clearly that when it came to Willow all Xander saw was a friend perhaps even a Sister like figure, but he would never feel anything romantic for her so it was best the redhead moved on and if this Oz her daughter mentioned was a nice boy then she felt Willow should focus on getting to know him more. 

“I’m not sure although I think Xander made it pretty clear his relationship with Cordelia was not only real but not going to end anytime soon” Buffy answered uncertainly. “That alone should make Willow see the light and move on, Oz seems like a cool guy I think they’d make a cute couple” she stated with a smile. Hell she knew they could make it as a couple as Xander had already admitted they had become one in the future, hopefully her redheaded friend would take Xander’s words to heart and let go of a crush even she could see was not going to become anything more. 

“We can but hope” Joyce agreed as turned back to the newspaper she had been reading before he Daughter had come down. “How come you are using Mr Giles home for your study session and not the library as usual?” she inquired even as Buffy turned towards the door. 

“None of us wanted to be in school for once even on a weekend when there are no classes, Giles and Miss Calendar who will also be there decided which of their houses to use with a coin toss and Giles lost” Buffy quickly made up on the fly. “We should only be studying for an hour or two before we head out to enjoy the sun” she added. 

“I see very well have fun” Joyce finally said thankful her Daughter was focusing on her classes so much that she was doing an extra study session even on the weekends with her friends.

Buffy said goodbye and quickly departed before her Mom could ask any more questions she really did not want to answer, closing the door behind her she headed for Willow’s house where she had agreed to meet not only Willow but Oz as well as he did not know where Giles lived.

+FB+

(Rosenberg residence)

Oz found himself somewhat amused as he watched Willow pace up and down her living room as they waited for Buffy to arrive, however he was somewhat put out she had not allowed him to broach the subject of them getting together as she was too busy muttering to herself about proving Xander wrong about magic and whatever actions she had taken in the future. He understood she was annoyed by the way her friend had categorized her actions in the future, but he felt instead of letting his view get to her she should instead focus on working out why her future self had acted the way she had. Perhaps that way she would be able to argue he had it wrong and that the actions taken were not as Xander had viewed them or at least try.

Willow still fuming over how Xander had not only made out her future self had acted foolishly, but all but insinuated that she had failed to master magic and instead been mastered by it. She could tell Giles had brought the story as Xander saw it by the statement he gave her last night, she had never failed at anything in her life and was ahead of everyone in their year group at school hence if she wanted to learn magic she knew she could do it. It could not be any harder than learning to hack complicated computer systems, or complete high level maths and science. She was a genius as she saw it, Xander and Giles warnings about how dangerous magic was were more than likely attempts to scare her into doing what they wanted. She wanted to prove them wrong but she had no idea how to go about starting to learn magic, and she really did not want to anger Giles, Miss Calendar and especially not Xander after seeing what his temper truly looked like now. That had not been a version of her friend she was used to seeing, and she did not want to see that side of him again so for now she would hold back on doing anything. 

At that moment Buffy arrived looking somewhat pensive but reasonable better than she had the day before, perhaps she was beginning coming to grips with losing Angel although she bet it still caused her pain deep inside. Oz nodded in greeting hoping once this meeting was over he could finally get the object of his affection to talk about them going out on a date, if she kept putting of talking to him he was going to become discouraged. No matter what Xander had implied about their future romance, if Willow would not talk to him then he could not see how they could become a couple. 

“So you guys ready to go?” Buffy inquired noting how Willow tried to make it seem she had not been pacing or dwelling on something that was clearly bothering her and she was certain she knew what it was. 

“Van’s outside” Oz said standing up even as Willow nodded in the affirmative and moved to follower them out of the door.

Heading to the van they quickly got in and headed for Giles’s place mostly in silence, Buffy kept her eyes on Willow noting the frown that kept passing over her face as if she was constantly arguing with herself about something. 

+FB+

(Giles Residence)

Xander knew the others had to be on their way now and he had begun to think over how to go through the information Janus had given them, most of it he was not concerned about but he had decided to talk to Buffy alone about Dawn. He thought it best that whilst talking to her about Dawn privately he could also bring up telling Joyce the truth, he knew sooner or later Buffy’s Mother would learn the truth and in his mind it was better that it come from Buffy admitting the truth than some other way like had happened in the future he now remembered. As he recalled Spike had let the cat out of the bag when he come to bargin with Buffy to ensure Angelus did not end the world, that had led to a huge argument between Mother and Daughter and in the end after Angelus was defeated led Buffy to fun away for six months. He had no intention of letting things get that bad between Joyce and Buffy this time, of course telling Joyce the truth was only half the battle proving their story was the other half. 

He’d also have to bring Giles into that talk once he had told Buffy about Dawn, hopefully Buffy would embrace the idea of having a Sister as she had in the future even if technically Dawn was not human. He’d never really found out what Dawn actually was, when she became human it was clear she’d gained human blood and organs but whether she was actually fully human was never fully tested one way or the other. In his mind it had never mattered, Dawn was just that Dawn Summers Daughter of Joyce and Sister to Buffy. Glancing over at Cordelia he noted she was curled up against him reading a book she had brought with her, Giles and Jenny were currently reading the note he had written about the Mayor and prayed he had not made a mistake in giving it to them as he still had no clue what kind of safeguards the Mayor had to ensure he was not found out. 

The door opening broke him from his thoughts as Buffy led Willow and Oz into the apartment, Cordelia instantly put her book away hoping this meeting would not end in break down in the group. Xander’s emotions as he had said were easily inflamed and none of the group could afford to fall out now, as everything she had heard from Janus told her they would soon be facing greater danger once Xander began to act fully on changing the future.

“Before I begin telling you what we learned from Janus please don’t focus on what I said yesterday especially you Buffy, I know learning about your choice to leave Kendra to defend the library by herself had to be hard to hear but that hasn’t happened yet and with luck will never happen” Xander began once they had sat down. “I think with what you heard you know now you need to think more clearly before acting especially when the shit has hit the fan, and listen to the advice of your friends” he added to which Buffy slowly nodded in agreement. 

She would not act so blindly no matter what again even if from her point of view that choice had not happened just yet, the fact was at some point in time she would leave her Sister Slayer alone to defend her friends which in reality was her job. She liked Kendra and did not want to her see her fellow Slayer cut down anytime soon, especially due to some stupid choice she made whilst pining for the loss of her boyfriend. 

“As for you Willow ignore how it seems I was calling your choices, as those choices have not been made yet and I know you took insult to how I described your actions but you shouldn’t” Xander continued turning to the redhead. “No matter how correct I am in my views of those choices they are my views and not yours, but hopefully you will at least take the warnings to heart and be more careful should you chose to learn magic again” he continued as Willow tried not to glare at him. “Giles and Jenny are both willing to teach you from the ground up so you will be able to control magic including the higher level stuff when you are ready for it” he told her. “And before you say anything you aren’t the only one who falls into the trap of misusing magic, as you’ll recall I caught Amy messing with it and used her to cast that damn love spell a few months back and sadly Amy will only get worse as time goes on so hopefully we can intercede with her as well” he admitted. 

Willow’s growing annoyance as Xander brought up his views on her future actions with magic vanished replaced with surprise at hearing Amy would suffer the same fate, Amy Madison was like her, Xander, Jesse, Johnathan Levinson and a few others a group of kids that had always been looked down on by the popular crowd since they were little children. Growing up they had all been to the same schools as they grew up but their status as geeks, nerds or losers as they were called stayed the same, the only difference was that Xander, herself and Jesse had formed a tight nit trinity before Jesse’s death. Amy, Johnathan and the others were more on the boundary but still connected. She felt at least somewhat better knowing she was not going to be the only one having trouble with magic in the future, even though she still did not believe her problems were as bad as Xander was making them out to be.

“Willow please try and understand we are not ganging up on you or trying to make you look bad, it is just magic is not as straight forward as you believe it to be Rupert and I both had gone through bad periods due to misusing our magic and we do not want you to go through the same thing or repeat our mistakes” Jenny spoke up desperately wanting to get this through to the redhead. 

She did not want to see Willow fall so far that she would become so evil as to sacrifice five people just for more power, the girl had great potential and she and Rupert should have taken her under their wing from the start but instead they had ignored the signs and left the girl to her own devices. Clearly Rupert had been blinded by whatever distractions had happened in the future to allow Willow to slide into the darkness, this time they would not be so short sighted. 

“Jenny is correct we paid the price for our short sightedness but you do not have to go down that path if you are willing to listen and learn but at a pace which does not leave you open to misusing that which we will teach you” Giles agreed watching Willow’s face carefully as she considered what was been said. “I know you love learning but somethings you are not ready to learn no matter that you think you are, there is always a limit to what one can understand” he told her. 

Willow chose to just nod knowing no matter what she said none of them would see things her way, and perhaps there was something to what they were saying even if she did not want to admit it. 

“Ok now to tell you what we learned from Janus last night apart from the warning he gave us” Xander said deciding Willow’s semi acceptance was the best they would get. “First Kendra’s fate is not locked and can be changed however doing so could have results we cannot imagine and will impact Faith” he informed them not missing the look of relief that passed over Buffy’s face at this news before a frown replaced it. 

“Who is Faith?” Willow asked before Buffy could. 

“Faith is the girl who will be called as the next Slayer once Kendra is killed, however unlike most of those chosen Faith does not come from a good home and has very big trust issues” Xander answered trying not to think about the time Faith had almost chocked him to death.   
It had not been entirely her fault things had come to that end, the mistrust and the way she was treated by the group plus the manipulations by the fake bitch Watcher Post had really done a number on Faith and then there was the added trauma of the her Watcher been killed in front of her eyes as well as been tortured and finally the accidental killing of the idiot deputy mayor who foolishly walked into the middle of a fight. No Faith’s downfall had come from a number of issues, but she had redeemed herself in the end and done her status as the Slayer proud. 

“But I will get into our history with Faith another time but hers is another’s fate as is that of her Watcher we can change” Xander stated before they could ask him for any clarification. 

“Do you know who her Watcher was?” Giles inquired with interest. 

“Doctor Haley Robertson, she managed to track Faith down a few months before she was called as the Slayer, she was a good influence on Faith but sadly” Xander answered before trailing off knowing Giles knew who the woman was. “Like Buffy she had slipped through the cracks and was not found early and so Faith is not your typical Slayer, she just had the misfortune not to have had a stable home life” he admitted. 

Buffy tried not to imagine what Xander meant by not having a stable home life, she really did not want to think about what kind of hell a young woman could go through and what she could have gone through had she not had her Mother with her. Giles removed his glasses and let out a pained sigh as he learned that Faith’s Watcher had been a friend and from the way Xander had trailed off she had perished before Faith had come to Sunnydale and her loss had added to whatever woes Faith had faced. 

“We will have another witch as an ally a few years from now a natural born witch and not a practitioner like Willow and Amy, she and her Mother are alive right now and thus I plan to go and retrieve them before the Mother can be killed” Xander said moving on before any more questions could be asked about Faith. “This will be mostly be for Tara as she never really got over the loss of her Mother but it will be useful for us as well if they decide to come here and help, she and Tara will be good help in training you Willow to properly harness your powers when or if you decide to learn magic” he admitted. 

“How powerful is this Tara?” Oz inquired as Willow tried not to get annoyed at the idea of needing more teachers than Giles and Jenny. 

“Powerful enough but she mostly was experienced in earth magic but that did not take away from what she was capable off, she was also skilled you helping you find your centre to find a sense of calm” Xander answered. 

“What happened to her?” Willow inquired not forgetting that Xander had said both were alive and considering he had already mentioned the end of the world she guessed Tara had passed sometime before Xander had been sent back. 

Xander looked down feeling a sense of loss as he recalled learning Tara had been murdered from a friend who had helped keep an eye on Sunnydale since he had left, he felt Cordelia reach over and give his hand a light squeeze as she sensed his distress. In fact Cordelia could tell from the look in his eyes whatever fate had befallen this young woman had impacted hard on Xander in the future, clearly he had been good friends with her. 

“She was murdered a year after I left Sunnydale and the worst thing is she wasn’t even the target of the bastard who killed her, he was aiming at you Buffy but hit her accidently” 

Xander finally answered using all his control to stop the hatred he felt at Warren Mears from coming out, had Willow not killed the fucker and he had escaped he would have tracked the little shit down and put him down like the rabid dog he was. 

Hell had Warren managed to somehow survive the onslaught he had unleashed in Willow by murdering Tara he might have actually returned to Sunnydale to avenge Tara, she had been a gentle soul who had never harmed anyone. She had not deserved to be snuffed out like that, but Willow had killed him and his two lackeys had each suffered fates deserving of their sins. He had no regret or sorrow for what befell Jonathan and Andrew, he would be keeping a close eye on all three of them and at the first sign of trouble he would kill them or at least kill Warren who was the true danger of the three of them. He didn’t care if Buffy would never understand taking such action he would not risk Tara’s life just to bow to Buffy’s sense of right or wrong, squeezing Cordelia’s hand he found a sense of calm push back the anger he had been feeling. 

“Why would anyone want to shoot me?” Buffy asked in confusion. “Demons don’t use guns and apart that bitch Darla neither do Vampires” she added waving her hands as she tried to work out why anyone would come after her with such a weapon. 

“Because Buffy you won’t always end up dealing with Demons and Vampires, you will also end up taking on a human or two over the years” Xander explained. “Granted the Slayer was never supposed to go up against humans but it has happened in the past and it will happen in the future” he told her as Buffy tried to come to grips with the idea of facing a normal human which did not fully compute in her mind. “But we will be there to help, I will be keeping a close eye on those people and if they give me pause to believe they will cause harm they will go missing” he stated deciding it best to make Buffy and the others understand this might become nessacary. 

“Wait a damn minute Xander you can’t go around killing people” Buffy exploded as he had expected. 

“Yes I can Buffy and I will if pushed into action as I will be forced to do in the future” Xander shot back not missing the dark looks Giles and Jenny exchanged clearly thinking about what he had told them about Willow. 

He glanced at Cordelia and was surprised not to see any judgement in her eyes, instead she gripped his hand tighter in her own, clearly their relationship had changed since Janus had sent him back made it more solid. Cordelia chose not to judge Xander on his vow, she knew he would one day kill Willow but in her mind the redhead had deserved to be killed for willingly choosing to sacrifice people in exchange for power. The idea of him having killed more than one person did not unsettle her as long as those he had killed were truly disgusting and evil people, in her mind people didn’t judge cops and soldiers for killing people as long as those instances were in the right. However whilst Giles and Miss Calendar seemed to understand where Xander was coming from, she could see neither Willow nor Buffy were going to accept this side of Xander at all whilst Oz was difficult to read. 

“WAIT YOU’VE KILLED BEFORE?” Willow demanded to know her voice rising at the very idea of the boy she grew up with actually killing someone. 

“Yes I have didn’t want to but I did it because it had to be done” Xander replied tonelessly as he dared not let his emotions show considering who the first person he killed was. 

“Sometimes you have to cross the line even in our line of work and neither of you have the right to judge me, your own mistakes in the future end up costing people their lives and whilst you may not have personally killed them your refusal to act got them killed by an enemy who should already been dead” he growled at them both stopping the instant response Buffy had been about to give. 

She felt her stomach drop at his words because she knew he was referring not only to what had befallen Kendra due to her choice, but also more than likely the whole Angelus saga he had mentioned where she had refused to kill him thus more than likely allowing the Demon who replaced the man she still very much loved to kill whoever he chose. The very idea made her ill, but still even given that the idea of killing a human did not sit well in her mind at all no matter what reason made such an act nessacary. Willow just stared at her friend unable to form a sentence at the cold utterance he had just said, she did not like been held responsible for peoples deaths that had not happened yet and even more did not like been told she was responsible due to not taking action when needed. Giles removed his glasses once more and polished them feeling a swell of sorrow at the way Xander had spoken, no matter the memories in his head he was still a teenager and thus should not know the truth of such things. 

He had not fully taken in the fact Xander had admitted he had killed Willow in the future, now he had to acknowledge the fact that the Xander Harris who was now in front of him was capable of anything should the need arise. He was ready to act to prevent any of the dark events he had seen in the future coming to pass, and the reason troubling thing was he would not be surprised if that meant killing Willow as she was now if the redhead began to mess around with magic to such an extent as to begin misusing it as she had in the future. That was something he wanted to avoid happening at all, he would take a firm hand in Willow’s magical studies should she chose to learn, he would not make the same mistake his future self had made in allowing her free reign to learn whatever she wanted and he suspected Jenny felt the same. 

Jenny herself was worried how Buffy and Willow would take Xander’s new stance because she knew they themselves were very much still innocent to the true evils of this world. Cordelia seemed to have come to a choice not to judge her boyfriend for which she was grateful, she feared had that not been the case Xander might not take it very well and in her mind Cordelia’s presence in his life was going to be a major factor in keeping Xander stable and in control and not overwhelmed by the memories he now carried. Oz was feeling surprising unbothered by the idea of what Xander had vowed, and he wondered if that was down to the wolf inside him. Since he had learned he was a werewolf he had read up on the subject from the few books Giles had lent him, it quite clearly stated once you were turned there was a change in the thought patterns and instincts in the person but he doubted Willow would understand that stance so stayed quiet. Silence fell as Buffy and Willow tried to come to grips with this new darker side to their friend, Xander leaned back holding tight to Cordelia’s hand hoping both would just accept this side of him because he knew before he was done he would have to kill someone to protect someone. 

There was three major people he would kill to protect or die for which was in order Dawn, Cordelia and Mary Jane, Tara and her Mother would come after them with the rest of the group following with Buffy and Willow sadly last in that list. The reason that Dawn was at the top was because she was special, he knew her role as the key had to have some point to it he just didn’t know what it was. Dawn had died before she had ever found out the truth of her existence and he had forgotten to ask Janus for any explanation, if Buffy or any of the others had found out the truth they had kept it secret from ever getting out. Cordelia came before Mary Jane primarily because she was here now with him and her very presence seemed to make him feel alive, his feelings for her had never left him and now she was alive again he wished to enjoy every moment he had with her basking in their feelings having the chance to fully mature. He had no idea if or when Mary Jane would arrive in Sunnydale, Janus had said he would send her but whether he would or not was unknown, plus there was always the chance something would happen to stop her coming. Gripping his other hand into a fist he hoped that nothing happened to Mary Jane, he really had no clue what would happen should Mary Jane turn up but as Janus had said it would be truly chaotic.


	7. chapter 7

+FB+

Buffy stared at her friend and had been for the last few minutes which had been in complete silence as they all tried to come to grips with Xander’s vow, the idea he was willing to kill anyone was truly shocking to her. Xander had always been a joker willing to even be the butt of a joke to keep things light, he had never struck her as someone who could be truly dangerous. Then a memory surfaced from the beginning of the year and she reconsidered that thought, she recalled him threating her life if Willow came to harm due to her attitude after returning to Sunnydale after her short death and the summer that followed. Due to still recovering from that experience she had ended up allowing Willow, Cordelia, Miss Calendar and Giles to be captured in an attempt to resurrect the Master, she had found Xander unconscious after an assault on the library and after she had awoken him he had stared her down and sworn to kill her if Willow came to harm. It had been a sobering moment which had shown that underneath the clown persona Xander portrayed was a core of steel and it had unnerved her, thankfully they had managed to rescue the four and stop the ritual from succeeding and after smashing the bones of the Master to dust she had begun to put her short death behind her and moved on. 

There had been another time Xander had shown a darker side to his personality which was back during her first year of knowing him, he had become possessed by the spirit of a hyena and along with three others become dangerous. She shivered as she recalled him aggressively coming onto her after she realised something was wrong with him, his eyes had been vacant of any warmth or caring and only lust showed as she struggled to break free of his grip. Somehow the hyena spirit had made him stronger and faster than before, and it had startled her as he tried to force her to kiss him whilst challenging her about her feelings for Angel in a contemptuous tone which had set her on edge. It hadn’t been Xander really at least she had always believed it hadn’t really been him, but perhaps there had been more of him showing than she realised just let out thanks to the spirit of the hyena that had possessed him. Now she was faced with another facet of her friend and she did not really know how to view it, could he really kill in cold blood?   
He had mentioned killing before in the future he now remembered but he had also said he hadn’t wanted to do it just that he’d had no choice, that was different than just up and doing it and that was if he was not leaving anything out. Finally she came to a decision which she knew Willow would not easily accept but for now it was the best she could think to do, continuing to argue this point was pointless especially right now and thus they needed to move on to other topics.

“Just promise me Xander that killing will always be a last resort” she requested instantly feeling Willow stiffen beside her before turning to see the red head staring at her in complete shock. 

“I’ll do my best Buffy I swear but if it comes down to a choice of acting to ensure no one comes to harm especially not Tara then I will act first” Xander responded truly astounded by Buffy’s somewhat accepting his ability and vow to kill if needs be. 

Buffy nodded knowing this was the best she would get from her friend and she prayed it would not come down to actually having to see him kill someone, whoever this Tara had been in his future she had been someone he truly valued as a friend and an ally. And it was clear her death had haunted him, perhaps even more than any other due to him not been in Sunnydale when it had happened. He had left for some reason, why she had not discovered yet but she intended to find out in time. Willow continued to stare at her clearly not understanding how she could back off on this subject, unable to suppress a groan she knew they would be discussing this later on perhaps multiple times. 

“I know that was not an easy decision to come to Buffy but Xander is correct sometimes the only option left to us is to take a life” Giles stated softly trying his best not to remember been forced to kill one of his best friends due to their stupidity in continuously summoning Eyghon.

That moment had changed him permantly as well as left a deep scar in his mind, he had never forgotten it. There had been no other option but to kill him once they lost control, Randall’s life had been forfeit the moment Eyghon had taken control of him. Had they not killed him the demon would have killed them all, sadly Ethan had never taken the lesson of that night on board and continued to dabble in dark magic falling deeper into the darkness. He and the others had woken up to what they had done and that Randall’s death was on their hands, each had gone their own way repenting their youthful misdeeds. Still there had been no choice; it was either Randall’s life or theirs. 

“Do not judge those who make that call except when the call is un-nessacary or forced” Giles cautioned her. 

“I cannot believe you are helping Xander justify murder Giles” Willow cried in alarm. 

“I am doing no such thing Willow just stating that I understand what he is saying, you and the others are children who do not yet truly understand the world we live in or what true evil lies in your fellow humans” Giles replied evenly. “Xander has clearly seen that evil in the future he now remembers, perhaps even faced it in person and been left with no choice but to kill to preserve his life or someone else’s” he told her and the others listening. “I do not judge him for that and neither should you” he stated. 

That statement shut Willow up and a quick glance around the room showed her that for the most part they had accepted what Xander had said he would do if nessacary, she couldn’t understand why though? Killing was wrong no matter how you looked at it, she conveniently ignored the fact that soldiers and cops killed in their line of duty as she did not consider that the same as what Xander was talking about. She failed to see that she and the others were engaged in a war, a war that went beyond demons and vampires. Still for now she would let the matter drop as she knew it would not get her nor them anywhere at this moment in time. But she promised herself she would bring it up with Buffy again later and Xander himself when they were alone, settling back in her seat and stayed silent. 

Xander and Buffy both knew this subject was not over where the redhead was concerned that she would bring it up again at some point, but for now they both were willing to move on. Cordelia was beginning to grow somewhat concerned about the way Willow was acting, whilst Buffy was surprisingly been open minded and willing to listen and learn from what Xander was saying. It was clear the redhead was neither open minded or willing to learn, letting her preconceived notions blind her to the truths been said. If she kept going like she was she could see history repeating itself, perhaps getting the redhead alone for a private talk might set her straight. It might be an explosive conversation given their history but it was better than seeing her keep pushing Xander until he exploded again, Oz decided to keep his opinion to himself as he doubted Willow would appreciate knowing he agreed with Xander. 

“Buffy I think you and me should discuss the next point alone first, it is very sensitive and personal to you” Xander said wanting to get off this topic and figured talking about Dawn to everyone before explaining it to Buffy would be a bad idea. 

Buffy glanced at him in confusion as so far Xander had not hesitated in telling them anything, she wondered just how sensitive and personal this was, she glanced at Giles who looked intrigued but clearly was not going to ask what he was talking about. 

“Go upstairs and use my office if you truly believe discussing this in private is nessacary” Giles offered with a smile. 

“Thanks Giles” Xander responded as he stood and indicated Buffy should follow which she did. “Perhaps whilst we are gone you can start explaining the basic principles of magic to Willow and just how dangerous leap frogging them is as a beginning” he suggested hoping the redhead would accept and truly listen to what was been said instead of blowing it off due to arrogance. 

Willow somewhat glared at the suggestion before deciding it couldn’t hurt to listen, and perhaps see if there was in anyway a danger if she skipped ahead as she had done with hacking and her studies. Xander led Buffy upstairs straight to Giles’s office hoping what he was about to delve into would be well received, so far Buffy’s reactions had surprised him except where it came to ending her relationship with Angel. Taking a seat, he waited until Buffy did so as well before taking a deep breath. 

“What I am about to talk about is complicated Buffy and surrounds not just you but your Mother and in a sense your Father as well, it is sensitive and I would suggest you think hard before you tell any of the others” Xander started cautiously. “I haven’t told anyone this not even Giles and Janna, I may have mentioned Dawn but not who she is or what” he explained. 

“Who is Dawn and what does she have to do with my family?” Buffy inquired suddenly deadly serious in a way she had not felt in a long time. 

“Dawn is your little Sister in every sense of the word except depending on how you look at it she was never born through natural means” Xander answered hoping like the Buffy he remembered this younger version would embrace having a younger sibling. 

“You’re going to have to explain that statement Xander” Buffy shot back in shock at the idea of having a Sister which was not helped by Xander’s odd statement. “How can I have a Sister who is not born through natural means, what do you mean exactly?” she demanded to know. 

“Dawn is what we call the Key which originally was a ball of powerful energy or perhaps even a higher being in some kind of container I really never got the full story” Xander tried to explain as best he could what he knew of Dawn’s origins. “And if you find out more after I left Sunnydale, well let’s just say you wouldn’t have decided to inform me of it” he admitted with a shrug. “The Key was protected by an Order of Monks and was sought by a fallen Hell Goddess who wanted to use it to return to her dimension, however if she had succeeded she would have ended up destroying our world and dimension and perhaps a few others as well” he informed her as Buffy listened carefully. “To protect it and keep it out of the Hell goddess’s hands they decided to send it to someone who could protect it, but to ensure she would they used a ritual to transform the Key into human form and here is the important thing Buffy the creator had to agree as the Key was granted a soul and that is something no human can do no matter how powerful” he informed her as seriously as he could. “The creator granted Dawn life, she became a full blooded human being soul and all and the blood in her veins is yours and your parent’s blood” he stated.

Buffy tried to take in what Xander was saying but was finding it very hard to accept, she would have a Sister who technically had not existed before these monks Xander had mentioned did their ritual to transform this Key into a human. “And my Mother and I just accepted this new person into our lives just because she had our blood?” she inquired with a very confused expression on her face. 

“The ritual did not just transform the Key into a human it also gave us all new memories of Dawn always been in our lives including your parents and you, hence from your new perspective Dawn had always been real” Xander answered. “We would eventually learn the truth but like with me you didn’t care and for this I truly respected you perhaps for one of the last times before I left you just accepted her as your Sister and cared for her as did Joyce” he told her quickly moving forward. “Dawn did not react any better to learning the truth than any of us did, but it was you accepting her which calmed her down and made her accept it had not mattered how she came to be” he continued. “All that mattered was she was the Daughter of Joyce and Hank Summers and Sister to you and the rest of the group accepted it as well as we all fought to protect her not just from the Hell Goddess but from the order of Knights who wanted to save the world by killing Dawn” he finished as memories of those fights flashed before his eyes. 

Buffy listened as carefully as she could as Xander talked paying close attention to the way he spoke; she heard no signs of falsehood nor any tells in his eyes which told her he was telling the story as it had happened from his point of view. She did not miss the way he said that her accepting Dawn as her Sister had been one of the last times he truly respected her before he left, and she wondered just what she had done afterwards to make him stop? She would find out in time, but for now she would leave it be as they had more important things to talk about. She also flagged the mention of another group involved in this whole story who wanted to kill Dawn in order to save the world, she could already guess their reasoning in that if Dawn did not exist then the Hell Goddess could not use it to destroy the world. The whole thing sounded very complicated, far more complicated than any threat she had faced before. 

“When exactly does this happen and why was my Mom so cool with everything concerning Dawn, she doesn’t know about the supernatural” Buffy inquired locking onto another point in this story. 

“Joyce learns about the supernatural and you been the Slayer at the end of this year just before you have your climatic battle with Angelus, Spike lets the cat out of the bag when he comes to offer you a truce as he wants to escape Sunnydale with Drusilla” Xander informed her. “She didn’t handle it very well and you both said things that neither meant, that argument along with having to sacrifice Angel to save the world made you run from Sunnydale to L.A for a month or two before you finally returned and reconciled” he told her not surprised by the look of unease that flashed over Buffy’s face as he talked. “As for when Dawn was supposed to turn up well from this point two and a half years when you are in your first year of college” he added. 

Buffy stood up and paced a little as she tried to ignore the idea of getting into a serious argument with her Mother again, the last time had been just after she had burnt down gym back in L.A and before she’d been sent to the nut house for mentioning Vampires. It had not been an enjoyable moment as her Mother had a temper like no other, it really was something to fear and was one of the main reasons her Father had left. He could no longer take the many arguments he and her Mother would get into, she still sometimes felt what happened with the gym and the nut house helped make it all the worse for them. Then her mind switched to the complicated situation regarding her soon to be Sister, could she be so accepting as her older self-had clearly been? She really didn’t know especially as she considered the threats that would come with her, the idea of an actual Hell Goddess coming after them terrified her just thinking about it. How had they defeated her? Then she thought of the added complications of an entire order of knights coming to kill Dawn so they could save the world uncaring of the fact they’d be sacrificing a young girl. She leaned her head against the wall as she felt a headache begin to form, then something suddenly struck her odd about why Xander was telling her this now if it was not supposed to happen for another two and a half years. 

“Why are you telling me this now Xander?” she asked uneasily as she slowly turned to face him leaning against the wall. “We have another two and a half years to before Dawn will even show up, so why tell me now?” she repeated. 

“No we don’t at least not where Dawn is concerned Buffy” Xander responded with a sigh. “You see the one thing you seemed to have not fully taken on board was the fact Dawn was granted a soul by the creator, this is an act that cannot be taken back Buffy it is a permeant change” he explained as she looked at him in confusion as she tried to thick what he meant. “The minute Janus sent me back the key was transformed into Dawn much to the monks surprise I am sure, her body may have de-aged but her memories like mine are complete right up the point she died in the original timeline” he informed her as Buffy collapsed back into her seat in shock. “She is currently at the monastery waiting for someone to come and get her, she knows what has happened as Janus ensured she was told so she knows not leave to try and come here on her own not that she could at her current age” he continued. “This is why I am telling you this now, Joyce needs to be brought up to speed first on you been the Slayer and the truth of the supernatural world we actually live in before been told about me and then Dawn” he told her slowly knowing this would not be advice well received.

Buffy could only stare at Xander as his words began to sink in; this was beyond anything she had expected when he told her he needed to speak to her alone. The idea of actually informing her Mother about been a Slayer as well as the fact Demons, Vampires and other such things existed sent chills through her body in fear as she knew her Mother would be so accepting of any of it. The idea of then telling her Xander had memories of a future in his head which had been sent backwards in time so as to avert a dark future, before then launching into the fact she now had a younger Daughter through the use of magic waiting to be brought home all but broke her ability to think.

+FB+

(Angel’s Hideout)

Angel startled awake as he sensed someone was in his house and quickly shot to his feet grabbing a stake as he did so, looking around as he switched on a light as the whole place was bathed in darkness to keep the sunlight out whilst he slept he finally noted just who had shown up. Dropping the stake he moved over to where his mentor and the man who had recruited him sat drinking from a bottle of whiskey, a bottle Angel was certain he had stolen out of his own fridge. 

“I was hoping you’d show up Whistler” he said in lo of a proper greeting. 

“I know which is why I have shown up and I know exactly why you wanted me to” Whistler said in return before taking a deep gulp from the bottle. “The powers are going buts thanks to Janus sending the Harris kid’s memories back in time, hell it’s even worse than when the kid broke that damn prophecy about Summer’s dying” he said with a shake of his head. “They don’t know how to stop him as he is protected by Janus and others interested in changing thing, the whole thing is a mess” he added.

“Why would they want to stop him?” Angel inquired. “I mean he’s come back to stop so many bad things from happening so why stop him” he pointed out. 

“Because he is upsetting the balance which is what the Powers are interested in maintaining hence my title balance Demon, I and my fellows are supposed to stop the fight from ever becoming unbalanced” Whistler answered. 

“But the fight is unbalanced and always has been” Angel protested. “There are hundreds of Vampires and Demons and only one Slayer plus a few other helpers and probably only a handful of witches to face them how is that balanced?” he demanded to know.

“You got me Angel, I only work for them I don’t get to question them on things that don’t seem to not add up” Whistler responded with a shrug before taking another gulp of whiskey. “They had plans already in place including plans for you and the Slayer which are now up in smoke and that has angered them” he admitted.

“Did those plans have anything to do with allowing Angelus loose to wreak havoc on Sunnydale and almost end the god damn world?” Angel growled almost vamping out as he spoke glaring at his mentor all the while.

“Honestly?” Whistler inquired to which Angel nodded. “More than likely it did and before you ask don’t” he added quickly before the souled Vampire could speak. “I have no clue how such a thing could help or what it was supposed to accomplish, they do not explain their plans to me or to anyone else” he told him. “All I do know is this, if things keep going the way they are the Powers may try and kill the kid somehow to stop him wrecking anymore of their plans” he informed him. 

“Neither I or Buffy will just allow that to happen and nor will any of the others” Angel stated coldly. “You tell them if they try and worse succeed then expect me and Buffy to just continue been their champions they can think again, we are not mindless drones here to do their will” he warned his mentor. “We have free will and we will exercise it as we see fit, just like Xander does which is how he broke the damn prophecy because instead of just accepting it he decided to do something about it” he explained. 

“As I said for now he is protected and I doubt the Powers will risk going up against Janus and the others watching the kid’s back, so for now you don’t have to worry about it but you should warn the kid the threat exists” Whistler replied hoping to cool the Vampire’s anger. “You wanted me to show up to offer advice and the best I can do is to tell you to do your best to help the kid, maybe advise him against pushing to change things to quickly” he told him. “I wish I could offer more but I really don’t know what to tell you because this whole thing is beyond my experience or anyone else’s, the kid as he stands right now is perhaps one of the most dangerous due to what he now knows and what he plans to do with that knowledge” he added taking a final swig from the bottle before putting it down. “Keep your eyes open Angel, the more the kid changes things the more likely something unexpected will happen he can’t see coming” he warned before vanishing. 

Angel stared at the spot his mentor had just seconds ago been standing in as he took it what had been said; clearly this whole situation was even bigger than Xander had already told him. But what really got him thinking was the idea the Powers had wanted him to lose his soul and become Angelus for reasons that even Whistler could not explain, that they also might want to try and kill Xander if he continued to change things also worried him. He’d have to talk to Buffy and the others especially Xander later that night once the sun had gone down, if they did try and go after Xander was it even possible to try and stop them? He wondered as he went back to bed.


	8. chapter 8

+FB+

(Giles Residence)

Xander was beginning to get concerned as Buffy continued to just stare off into space as she thought over what he had told her, and what he had suggested they had to do. He knew telling Joyce the truth would be no walk in the park, there would be a lot of shouting and cursing but he was certain in the end the elder woman would see the truth of everything been said and accept it. More importantly he was certain she would accept not just Buffy’s role as the Slayer but the fact she’d soon have a younger Daughter as well, maybe telling Buffy the memory spell would activate as soon as Dawn arrived in Sunnydale would help. 

“Buffy if you’re worried Joyce won’t accept Dawn’s origin then you need to know the memory spell the Monks did the first time will activate as soon as we bring her home” he told her slowly breaking through the blond’s troubled thoughts and making her eyes once more lock onto his. 

“You mean the Monks will cast it again?” Buffy inquired trying to keep her mind focused and not allow her fears to overwhelm her. 

“No, Janus told me it will automatically activate the minute we bring her home to ensure you will protect her like before” Xander answered. “Although it will also ensure Dawn has her family back not that I think that was by design but perhaps it was, hence we may not need to actually tell Joyce the truth about Dawn” he offered hoping to take some of the stress she was feeling away. 

Buffy stared at him for a few minutes as she considered his offer knowing he had given it as a way of calming her down and lessening her rising fears, she appreciated the offer and him for making it but she knew they could not avoid telling her Mother the full truth memory spell or not. 

“No we have to tell her Xander all of it” she finally told him with a long drawn out sigh. “No matter if the memory spell activates or not we have to tell her, she deserves to know that not only is her Daughter a supernatural warrior but soon she’ll have a younger Daughter created by magic to care for as well” she continued. “I just fear it will go worse than what you’ve told me happened in the original timeline, mom has a very nasty temper Xander and I doubt even with your knowledge of the future you’ve seen her unleash it fully” she added to which Xander conceded with a nod of his head. “She will not like any of this the last time out she shoved me in a nut house” she reminded him. 

“That will not happen this time I promise” Xander reassured her as he reached out a hand and gently took hold of her own which she grasped in gratitude for his reassurance. 

“This time you will have proof from Giles and Angel and I will be there as well, we will back you up all the way” he swore. “Yes Joyce will rave in anger and more than likely she will try and dismiss what we say but in the end I am certain she will accept it just as she did the last time” he told her. 

“I hope so Xander I really do” Buffy whispered shivering as she imagined just how badly things would go. 

Downstairs Willow listened restlessly as Giles and Jenny both talked about the principles of magic mostly relating to where to begin learning, she was doing her best to listen   
impartially without allowing Xander’s views of her future actions to bias her against what was been said. However she could not completely stop herself resenting how restrictive they were been in what they told her, she was certain they were not telling everything related to the subject at hand and that annoyed her even though she tried to repress that fact. Cordelia and Oz both watched from their respective seats wondering what the redhead would do once the talk was finished, wondered if she would be able to learn magic at a reasonable pace. Cordelia also couldn’t help wonder what Xander was discussing with Buffy that needed complete privacy, more than likely he was not telling her what her future self-had done concerning the poisoning of Faith and almost feeding the second Slayer to him in order to save him. No she was certain it was about something else something more private, she didn’t begrudge this fact as it may be something only relating to Buffy and no business of the rest of the group. 

+FB+

(Hidden Monastery)

Dawn Summers was not a happy person not least in the fact she once more found herself thirteen years old, worse though was the fact she found herself not at home in Sunnydale surrounded by friends and family but the Order of Dagon. The monks who had in a sense created her or at least created her human life, she supposed she should be thankful to be alive once more as her last memory before appearing her was dying in the arms of Vi. A Slayer who had been created during the world wide activation of the entire Slayer line by Willow during the horrifying battle against the First Evil, Vi had become a great friend to her if not her best friend and she was certain her death had haunted her friend. She had died fighting in the civil war against the corrupt Watcher’s council Buffy had inadvertently allowed to rise; her Sister had lost her way and been corrupted first by Spike and then the cursed bastard known as the Immortal had finished the job. 

She had followed Faith in the war that followed alongside Vi and many of the other Slayers who had been in Sunnydale during the fight against the First, it had been a brutal war and many had died fighting in it. But they were outnumbered and in the end overwhelmed by the power of people like Willow and Amy corrupt and drunk on dark magic aiding the corrupt council, she’d tried to find Xander who had left Sunnydale just after the battle against Glory hoping he would be able to help but she could find no signs of him. She knew he was not dead had known it deep in her heart he lived, but she could not track him down and none of their own mages could locate him with magic either. She had not begrudged him leaving considering how he had been treated by Buffy and Willow and sometimes even Giles ignored him, but the death of Buffy at the end of the fight against Glory had broken any lingering attachments he had to Sunnydale. She had wished more than once she could have gone with him, that way she could have escaped the madness that followed her sister’s messed up resurrection by Willow that had been in her eyes the beginning of Buffy’s downfall into darkness. The foolish over eager and arrogant witch had left her sisters coffin in the damn ground forcing Buffy to dig herself out like a cursed Vampire, that had to have had a severe psychological effect on her sisters mind not that Buffy would ever have admitted it. 

She had often wondered before her death if finding Xander could have evened the odds against the corrupt council, rumours had circulated he had formed his own group of fighters and even worked for organisations dedicated to fighting the supernatural. Faith had been a competent leader but her past sometimes had worked against her confidence and skills, perhaps Xander could have helped the dark haired Slayer work through whatever issues still remained. Shaking her head and pushing away thoughts of the past, she refocused on the fact of been alive again. The reason been that Janus had decided to try and avert the end of the world by sending Xander’s memories back in time to his younger self, according to the messenger who had come to her those memories had merged with his younger body altering it in some ways to resemble his older self without actually aging him in anyway. 

She had learned from the messenger that Xander had led his own team to Sunnydale to try and stop the Hellmouth been opened but they had failed, the enemy had been too many and one by one his team had fallen until only Xander remained dying slowly from his wounds. Which is when Janus had stepped in and made his office, unsurprisingly Xander had taken up the offer and thus time had been reset. Right now she should by all rights still be nothing by a ball of energy, however due to been granted a soul by the creator that was impossible hence she had appeared in her younger body with her memories fully intact to the monks confusion until the messenger had arrived to explain things. The monks had been commanded to protect and teach her until Xander and Buffy came to retrieve her; she did not doubt her sister would come once she had been brought up to speed by Xander on her existence. She however worried how their Mother would take the whole truth first about Buffy been the Slayer and the existence of the supernatural world, more difficult would be explaining her origins and reason for been. Not that she really knew why she was so important; it was not something they’d had time to really look into before everything went to hell. 

Suddenly she realised perhaps whilst she was here she could see what the Order of Dagon had in its books of which they had many, she had seen them all over the place. As the Order was supposed to be created persificly to defend and look after the Key in its previous form then perhaps those books contained information on who or what had created the Key in the first place, and more importantly to her what it was created for. Smiling she went to talk to the head monk who had introduced himself as Michael, as she went she wondered just what kind of changes Xander had made since time was first reset. 

+FB+

(Giles Residence)

Everyone looked up as Xander and Buffy re-joined them and each noted how uncertain Buffy now looked, each wondered just what had been said but thankfully no one dared ask for which Buffy was particular grateful. Her mind was still going over everything Xander had told her, the idea of telling her mother the truth about anything was still playing on her mind and she had yet to let Giles know they would have to inform her mother about her been the Slayer and the reality that Vampires, Demons and other nasties existed. She knew her Watcher was not exactly going to like the idea any more than she did. In fact he would probably fear the idea more than she did, as more than likely Giles would bear the brunt of her mother’s wrath once the truth was told. 

“Are you okay Buffy?” Willow inquired her curiosity finally getting the better of her. She really wanted to know just what Xander had told her blond haired friend, at least their return had ended the rather long speech on the beginnings of magic Giles and Jenny had been giving her.   
She at least had admitted to herself magic was a bit more complicated than she had first thought, clearly it curtailed more than reading instructions and getting the desired result. That did not mean she believed everything Xander had said about her future actions, nor was she completely convinced that magic was dangerous for her to learn as she was very intelligent and she was certain this would aide her in learning and controlling magic. But she knew that neither Xander, Giles nor Jenny would just allow her to start wherever she wanted to. But for now was not willing to push things, she would learn at the pace they wanted her to, once she had the beginnings of magic down she would see if she could push ahead somewhat. 

“Giles we’re going to have to tell my Mother the truth about me been the Slayer and that Demons and Vampires exist” Buffy said breaking the silence that had fallen and avoiding answering Willow’s question. “And we’re going to have to do it soon” she added as she looked up to face her Watcher. 

Giles removed his glasses and began to clean them as he felt a small shudder go through him at the very idea of telling Joyce Summers the whole truth about her Daughter, and more to the point his role in her life. Each time he had met the woman he had felt there was burning fire underneath just waiting to be unleashed, in a way it reminded him of how he had been in his youth. When he had gone by the name Ripper, the fire of his rage had always been on had ready to be unleashed. Joyce Summers may come off as a very easy going woman but he had seen her get angry before, once she crossed that line she unleashed that fire and he had no real desire to have it pointed at him but knew he would have to at some point. 

“I see” he finally responded with a sigh as he put his glasses back on. “How soon do we need to do this?” he asked. 

“End of the week at least” Xander answered. “And once we’ve done that Giles you me and Buffy will need to take a long trip, first to San Francisco and then Texas and then finally elsewhere” he added gaining the attention of everyone. 

“That will be a very long trip Xander and not one you can take easily and Buffy cannot leave the Hellmouth defenceless” Giles pointed out.

“No which is why we’ll call Kendra and her Watcher Zabuto and have her come here to cover whilst we are gone” Xander replied easily. “We can then inform them of some of what is going on, hopefully we can change her fate or at least extend her life somewhat” he said with a sigh. 

“What makes you think you can trust this Zabuto not to inform the council of your new knowledge?” Jenny couldn’t help but inquire. “I am sure they would love to get a hold of you and squeeze any information pertinent to them out of you” she added. 

“They would especially Travis and his bookends but Zabuto is a lot like Giles in that he cares for his Slayer and is part of the more progressive faction of the council who want change” Xander answered as he recalled what he knew of the man who watched Kendra. “I think we could trust him if we let him in on all this, granted we wouldn’t tell him everything as some of what I know will make him want to inform the council so as to warn them” he continued. 

“Still taking such a long journey will raise a lot of questions not least for me as to why I am taking you and Buffy to different states” Giles couldn’t help but point out. 

“True, which is why we won’t be going the usual way of going by car” Xander replied. 

“Then how?” Willow asked interested. 

“Transportation spells, dangerous if you don’t know what you are doing but they are doable if you have the skill and knowledge” Xander replied seeing the look of interest in Willow’s eyes but hoping she would not go looking into them right now. 

“Which we do not Xander” Jenny warned him. “As powerful and me and Rupert are together, neither of us know how to do transportation spells as far as I am aware” she went on then looked at Giles who nodded in agreement. 

“I am afraid Jenny is correct so how do you expect to utilise such magic?” Giles inquired. 

“There is a coven of Witches down in L.A hidden from the eyes of most supernatural forces including Wolfram and Hart, Angel will make good allies of them in the future” Xander answered. “They can help us, but we won’t be doing that for another week or two maybe three and we won’t be doing them all at once either” he assured them. 

“Who are Wolfram and Hart?” Cordelia inquired catching the way Xander said the name, the way his tone deepened as if he was trying to suppress some deeper emotion about them. 

Xander winced at the fact it was Cordelia herself who asked about Wolfram and Hart, he glanced at her not really wanting to answer but knowing he had promised not to hold back anything from her. “Wolfram and Hart are a bunch of lawyers Cordy who serve an ancient cabal of Demons called the Wolf, Ram and Hart also known as the senior partners” he informed them all. “The lawyers specialise in aiding either demons or evil men and women and they are damn good at their job, Angel will become their particular focus once he goes to LA for reasons I won’t talk about right now” he continued. “They had no boundaries about the scum they would defend, they are not easily beat either and they have branches all other the place” he added with a shake of his head. 

Cordelia frowned and somehow just knew there was more Xander was not saying, she could see it in his eyes. Not that he was actively lying just been very careful with what he told them, she wondered if these lawyers were in anyway connected to her own fate? For now she would let it lie as she knew if Xander was holding back it was for a good reason. 

“Are they human or demon?” Buffy asked wondering if her future self had dealt with these evil sounding lawyers and if they were human why were they working for demons. 

“They are human but have all but basically sold their souls to the firm for power, most of them are as evil as any demon you could meet I assure you Buffy” Xander answered. 

“Sadly been human does not make one immune to been evil, in fact from my experience or at least my future’s self’s experience been human helps as humans are so easily led astray for power, greed and a host of other reasons” he stated. “Just look at our history as a species and look at how many wars we have waged for power, religion, money, resources and anything else you can think off” he went on sounding somewhat tired. “We called world war one the war to end all wars and yet twenty years later there was another world war and then more after that and it still has not ended and why because in the end humanity is just prone to violence it is written in our very dna” he finished. 

The group as a whole stared at him somewhat surprised by his depressive view of humanity and their history; it was a far cry from the boy they still somewhat expected to see even after learning what had happened to him. 

“I think we can leave things here I need some fresh air and I am sure Buffy could as well” Xander finally said after a brief silence. “We can pick things up tonight at the library before we patrol” he added as he got up to leave knowing also that Giles and Jenny wanted to talk to one another and he thought they had taken up enough time from them to do so. 

Cordelia quickly followed as did Buffy who wanted to go home and think long and hard on how to come clean about the supernatural to her mom, she knew it was going to be an uphill struggle helped by the group or not. Willow decided to try and hang out with Oz if he was up to it and quickly moved to follow as did Oz and soon they all exited Giles apartment and split up. Cordelia hooked her arm around Xander’s and guided him back towards her home, thankfully her parents had called before she had left to inform her that they would be staying in Florida for another two to three days whilst her Father finalized the deal he had been working on. Her Mother had mentioned one of the other company’s higher ups was been a pain and kept delaying things, but she was not too mad as it allowed her to stay in the hot climate and relax on the beach. Willow and Oz slowly walked towards his van whilst Buffy took a slow walk towards home, Willow glanced at Oz once or twice as she worked herself up to ask him out. 

“Do you want to do something together Oz?” Willow inquired nervously rubbing her elbow as she did. 

“Sure” Oz responded deciding this could be a good way of finally breaking the ice that had existed since he had been brought into all this and also a way of getting the redhead to start putting whatever feelings she might have about Xander aside. 

Getting in the van they headed out into town making small talk as they drove slowly, neither were in any rush. Buffy walked slowly towards her home her mind still a jumble over what she had learned from Xander, first her Mom would have discovered the truth by the end of the year in disastrous circumstances and whilst she would run away for a time she’d return and they would sort things out. That was at least something that calmed her down and gave her hope that when they came clean to her Mom now it would all work out, even if things did not go so well at first. Second, two and a half years from now she would end up with a younger Sister. Suddenly she came to a stop, no it suddenly hit her Dawn as she would be called was already here due to whatever it was she really was. What had Xander called her, the Key that was it? Due to that her Sister was here already, at the monastery of the monks who had been protecting the Key. God telling her Mother about the supernatural would be easy compared to informing her she had a younger Daughter she knew nothing about, rubbing her forehead as she felt a headache form she began walking again. Things were going to become very complicated she realised, she just prayed they would not spiral out of control. 

+FB+

(Town Hall)

The Mayor sat calmly reading a report from one of his more useful people who he’d had search the town, from top to bottom looking for any signs of something that could be a threat to him. According to the report there was not one danger of sufficient strength in the limits of the town that he should be worried about, this made him wonder if perhaps the threat might be outside the limits of the town. If that was the case then finding whoever was behind this change that threatened him would be more difficult, he contemplated what to do. He could send some of his people out search the area around the town all the way to LA if he had to, but was it worth it. Perhaps he should wait until his seers got a better handle of just what or who they were looking for, tapping his finger against his desk he decided to send two of his people out to LA to visit his Lawyers from Wolfram and Hart. Perhaps they might have a better way of helping him pin down who he was after, yes that was the forward he thought as a smile graced his features. Putting the report down he began to work on just who to send to represent him, it would have to be the two best able to deal with the slick and treacherous lawyers. 

+FB+

(Chase Mansion)

Cordelia relaxed on the sofa as Xander made them something to drink; she had to admit she was becoming somewhat used to her deeper connection to Xander especially at night. She was not looking forward to her parents coming back at all, she had another three days to enjoy this new sense of peace between her and her boyfriend before he would have to start staying at his own home. She was also beginning to question whether she wanted to keep her relationship with Xander a secret as she had been doing so far, her friends like Harmony were not really her friends as she knew they would gladly stab her in the back if given the chance so as to rise to been the most popular girl in school. Harmony especially would do anything to replace her like that, their dull topics of conversations were also beginning to bore her. She found much more enjoyable topics to discuss with Xander and the rest of the group, even with Willow she could find things to discuss that did not bore her even if she and the redhead still did not get along at all.   
Considering what she now knew she had to wonder if popularity really mattered when one takes in the fate of the world, and the possibility and ensuring her relationship with Xander lasted to become something truly amazing. Something solid that would last the rest of her life if they could avoid it been destroyed by whatever it was that had manipulated them in the future Xander now remembered, it was kinda scary to think of things in such long term and yet not. Xander returned with two hot cups of hot chocolate which he placed on the side table and joined her on the sofa, instantly she curled up against him and sank into his embrace instantly enjoying the warmth of his body next to hers. 

“I won’t ask what you and Buffy discussed because I know you’ll tell us when we need to know or Buffy says it is okay” Cordelia said closing her eyes and relaxing some more. “I guess some things are not for the whole group” she added. 

“No there not but Buffy will come forward with this once she wraps her head around it and it is time to” Xander assured her. “Right now she is not only dealing with the idea of having to tell Joyce about the supernatural and been the Slayer which did not go well last time believe me, she also has to try and deal with what else I told her and my promise to kill Warren and his toadies if they showed even an ounce of threat to Tara or anyone else” he told her. 

“Wait Warren as in Warren Mears that creepy little jerk who is obsessed with comics and games even worse than you could ever be?” Cordelia asked as she caught the slip of exactly Xander had been referring to when he brought the subject up of killing whoever it was who had killed this Tara he seemed to care so much for.

“Yeah him, his obsession with those kind of things make him lose contact with reality along with two others, of which I am hoping we can still save at this point in time” Xander answered seeing no point in not answering as he knew Cordelia would keep this between them. “They decide to become super villains according to what my contacts in the future told me, they went completely loco thinking they could be the next big bad” he told her with a shake of his head. “The whole thing was ridiculous, they could have made a fortune with the things they created for their so called crime spree, but Mears went further and descended into madness and I know he has it in him to kill even now when those events have not even happened yet” he went on his tone turning cold. “Tara was not his first victim, his first was his girlfriend who refused to sleep with him and was trying to leave him” he admitted. 

“What happened to her?” Cordelia found herself asking. 

“He strangled her to death, the body was found a few days later stripped and well I don’t think you need to hear the rest” Xander began but broke off and Cordelia opened her eyes and looked up to see the darkness that passed over Xander’s.

Feeling a wave of dread and revulsion sweep though her, Cordelia decided to get both their minds off such depressing matters and onto more enjoyable ones by leaning up and kissing him slowly and passionately. Xander at first was somewhat stiff as his memories warred with reality, but he quickly allowed Cordelia to lead him away from what was for him the past to more pleasant emotions. He returned the kiss as heatedly as she was giving, his hands wrapped around her waist and pulled her up against. Cordelia went willingly into his lap as they forgot all else for a brief period of time, when they finally broke off the kiss both were breathing deeply as their foreheads touched and the gazed into each other’s eyes lost in what they saw reflected back at them.


End file.
